Bluebird's Illusion, Pride the deadliest sin
by temariXshikamaruluva
Summary: His throat was dry, seared and on fire, his head throbbed, body convulsed, his heart was screaming in agony, each beat as though demanding release…he wanted to die. Fate is cruel, and it refuses to loosen its stranglehold over the Elric brothers. XingCWar
1. A New Beginning

**Bluebirds Illusions - Pride, the deadliest sin**

**Chapter 1 – A New Beginning**

**_T__hose who continue to fight when no reason remains shall never be at peace__._**

'There is so much left that I still don't understand…I can't die now…not now…...I need to stay…I have to…Al needs me…I need him…I won't allow it…I am not ready to pass into the next world…not when I have yet to find the truth…to…save…my…brother…' He squinted his eyes in a desperate attempt to stay with the world of the living, and refused pointblank to succumb to the tempting darkness without a fight.

He coughed weakly as he slowly began drowning in his own blood. That anguish on top of the searing pain that pulsated from where his chest used to be, was far and beyond bearable. He felt as though he were being slashed apart from the inside…though through it all, the only thing he could think of was his brother. The pain was nothing in comparison. 'Al I am so sorry…please…forgive me…for everything…I have caused you so much pain…this is all my fault…I don't know how long I can resist it…the pull that is bringing me towards the gate…the gate of heavens…of hells…of truths…of lies…of life…of death…'

Edward felt the light leave his eyes, a wailing Al disappearing from his fading vision. He saw his brother clearly, undimmed for a split second…his body was back. Edward smiled softly. At least he had succeeded in that. The pain was gone now, not that it had mattered, he was numb to it anyway…nothing could cause him pain…he had already lost everything. There was no physical agony that could ever begin to compare with the emotional scars he bore…nothing could hurt him. Not anymore.

Ed was broken in both mind and in body, but still…he had to keep fighting. He had fought to live for his entire life. To die was not even fathomable. To die had never been an option. He had always found a way to fight back, to fight for a reason to carry on…a reason to live…but now he could find none. He did not have anything that he had to do. He had nothing to fight for. 'Al has his body back…I saw it. That was my goal ever since we were both torn apart from the failed human transmutation. What else do I need to do…?' He felt himself being pulled through oblivion and back again, the darkness was overwhelming, consuming him. It was so thick and sinister it could make even the most malevolent being shiver…but Ed didn't care. He had already been to the gate…he knew where he was going…or so he thought…

* * *

Heart wrenching sobs racked Al's body. It was as though fate was laughing at him, mocking him as to have the first emotions coursing though his body to be ones of such pain and suffering. It was cruel and tormenting. To Al, it made everything seem all too real. He didn't know what to do now that he was alone, all too alone, in a now empty, domed, luxurious auditorium.

On his knees he clutched his chest frantically, tears blinding him. He had never felt pain such as this ever before. His throat was dry, seared and on fire, his head throbbed, body convulsed, his heart was screaming in agony, each beat as though demanding release…he wanted to die. His painful cries were echoed audibly from the walls and ceiling relentlessly, without any end in sight.

'…how could this have happened...It has to be a dream…this can't be real…please…' he thought, pleading with all his soul to the gods that he wasn't even sure existed. It couldn't be real. It just couldn't. His brother had been there! Just now! Right with him less than a minute - less than a moment before! Ed had been fighting Envy, fully living and breathing. Ed had been alive. Dante, that cursed woman, had been there too…yes, she had taken over Lyra's body. The homunculi Gluttony had been there also, and Rose had been there as well with her son. But they were all gone now, and he was alone.

Al slumped over feebly before tensing suddenly and viciously striking the rock hard floor. He couldn't bear it anymore. It was all just too much. Everything that had happened now seemed like a blur, a surreal blur. There was no recalling what had happened; only that it was more painful than anything else he could have possibly imagined. Suddenly he tried to think of where the others had gone and he couldn't. He slowly got up with a start, his knees shaking, nearly buckling, as he was still unable to get a hold of his raging emotions, not that he was giving it much of an effort. He couldn't manage much in this condition.

He looked around the room again quickly. '…wait…what is going on…what am I doing here?'

His sobs became less strong. He tried to think of what was going on. Why couldn't he remember what had happened? How had he gotten here? There was a slow growing pain at the root of his skull that was pulsating acutely. He gritted his teeth and held his head tightly, doing his best to conceal his distress. It soon became too much, he couldn't hold it anymore. Quickly hitting a breaking point, he cried out painfully. He clutched his head, fingers curling into his scalp as he curled over, trembling violently; struggling in vain to fight the darkness that was threatening to overwhelm him. With a final heart wrenching scream he collapsed limply on to the smooth floor with a dull thud. He lay alone in the now silent auditorium of the long since abandoned city, which his father, Hohenheim of Light had wiped out to create the first philosophers' stone.

It was many hours before Al was found. He was still unconscious, and his body was that of a ten year old boy. The same age as he had been when he and Ed committed the taboo of trying to resurrect their mother.

* * *

**Three years later…**

"Al come on, you can't be serious. Didn't you learn anything from what we've told you?" asked Winry, looking up from her place at her messy automail work bench. She was working on a new arm and leg for the homunculi Wrath. The boy came as he pleased to and from the Rockbell household. Al was a few meters across from her at the kitchen table. He was eating some breakfast. Outwardly, it was a typical morning at the Rockbell home but Winry knew otherwise. Today Al was making the decision that she had been dreading for the past three years. She had always known that it would come to this, but it still didn't make it any easier.

"Well yes, but I still want to become a State Alchemist. General Mustang even sent me that envoy saying that I've been given a spot in the State Alchemist Exams that are coming up in a couple of months. Plus I want to meet him for myself. I've heard way too much about him not to at least go."

Winry scowled. She had never told Al that Roy Mustang had killed her parents, nor did she think that she should any time soon. It would dampen the image of Roy that his subordinates had so eloquently painted for Al. No…she wanted Roy to shatter that image himself. One could only hope that Al would play victim to Roy's tact himself, and overcome his naïve disposition to see what absolute jerk the Brigadier General really was.

Winry sighed, taking a deep breath, and eyed Al worriedly. "Well…what do you want to gain from this exactly?" she asked, pausing in her automail work, attentively waiting for his reply.

Al put his toast down on the plate, eyes lowered. "Well, I guess it will help me improve my skills as an alchemist, after all, Teacher has nothing left for me anymore." he said keeping his gaze on his half eaten meal.

"Aren't you satisfied with the level you're at now?" she asked. Winry knew the answer before she even asked the question.

"No." replied Al instantly, with the sort of raw determination that was normally void from his voice. He eyed her levelly. "I have not brought brother back yet so no, I am not satisfied." he stated. "Not even close." he mumbled as an afterthought, his eyes dulling in memory.

"But Al please, don't you remember what happened-"

"No I don't remember!" he exclaimed, effectively cutting her off, and catching her off guard. "How could I possibly remember? After brother gave me back my body I lost all of my memories from when I was in the suit of armor. I don't remember a thing from what happened while working under the military….in my mind it is as though nothing happened between the times when brother and I tried to bring mother back and when brother gave me back my body three years ago." He sighed before continuing with a more level voice. "All I know is what you, Granny, Rose, Wrath and the military have told me."

"Al please!" begged Winry. Her eyes were wide and dire as she got up roughly from her workbench.

Al got out of his seat as well. "No Winry." he said pointblank. "I am sorry but I am going to Central to take the State Alchemy exams and you are not going to change my mind." He looked at her with all seriousness. "You can tell Granny. I'm going out."

Al turned on his heel and swept out of the kitchen without a second glance. Winry heard first the kitchen and then the front door close. Only then did she sit back down, but she didn't feel like working anymore, not when there was so much uncertainty. 'It is a good thing that I didn't tell him that they're planning to hold an official funeral for Edward in the military cemetery, and the tombstone has already been laid down. The ceremony is in a little over a month.' Winry lowered her head into her hands, shaking her head. 'I guess I knew this was going to happen. I knew he was too much like Ed to rest not knowing where his brother is. But still, I can't help but be worried though. Al is only thirteen.' But a voice in the innards of her mind reminded her that Ed was younger when he became a State Alchemist.

She got up off of the bench, slumping over in defeat. She headed upstairs to have a talk with her grandmother. 'I wonder what Granny is going to do when she finds out what Al is planning….' she sighed exasperatedly and shook her head again. 'Those two…they always, always, ALWAYS get into trouble. I just know that this is not going to end right…I can never stop worrying about them, and I have never gotten good night's sleep whenever I am thinking of either of them.' she scoffed lightly, an amused expression on her face. 'That's right…I haven't slept well for over ten years.'

**

* * *

End of chapter one! **

**This fanfiction is going to be ****slightly linked to the game ****'**_**Bluebirds Illusions'**_**though not so much so that you'll be in the dark in the least if you know nothing of the game. If you want to take a look at either a very detailed outline or into the intro video, there is a link to both of them on my author's page.**

**I I will not add in many OC's. I will put in one main one that is needed for the stories plot progression but I will not add them needlessly nor will the story become overwhelmed with them. This story is not about the OC's. This is Al and Ed's journey to become reunited, only things are far more dangerous than either of the bargained for, i.e. Pride!Ed**

**Main Characters:**

**Edward Elric, Alphonse Elric, Pride!Ed and an OC Xue-Kwin (Xing) girl named Nanami Tsumang**

**Major Supporting Characters:**

**Winry, Roy, Riza, and two O.C.'s that won't be involved for over seventy thousand words**

**Minor Characters (might get a part):**

**Jean Havoc, Heymans Breda, Kain Fuery, Vato Falman, Maria Ross, Denny Brosh, Alex Louis Armstrong, Olivia Milla Armstrong (Alex's older sister, in the manga), Catherine Elle Armstrong (Alex's younger sister, in the anime), Shou Tucker, General Haruko, Gracia Hughes, Alicia Hughes, Russell Tringham, Fletcher Tringham, Pinako Rockbell, Rose, Hohenheim of Light, Dante, the Homunculi and any OC that I feel the need to add for a minor part**

**Thank you for reading,**

**much love,**

**temariXshikamaruluva**


	2. Goodbye

**Bluebirds Illusions - Pride, the deadliest sin**

**Chapter 2 ****– Goodbye**

_**If fate chooses you**__**, there is no hope in fighting it. It will plague your very existence, an bring pain upon anyone who you allow yourself to become bonded to.**_

"Stop fidgeting damn it."

He frowned at the woman who was sitting across from him. "How can you be so calm?" he asked, his voice unusually high.

"Quiet down Sergeant."

His eyes flashed dangerous and he jumped out of his seat angrily. "It's Master Sergeant now Lieutenant Ross!" he exclaimed childishly, pointing towards the newly earned stripes on his military uniform.

Maria sighed and rolled her eyes, doing her best to ignore Denny Brosh's outburst. She leaned on her elbow and looked dully out the window. Her glazed expression was unreadable to anyone, let alone Denny who had now retaken his seat in a huff. The train was moving swiftly. They passed by the snow caked countryside without a second glance. Everything was a blur, but that didn't matter. She was not looking at it, not really. She was remembering all those times with the Elric brothers. Those boys had made an impression on her that she could never forget, what with the incident at Lab five, and how they were sentenced to death by the Fuhrer King Bradley after military massacre in Lior. It would have been a downright lie to say that she was calm. She had not seen Al since he had gotten his body back, and had been avoiding it for years. She would never admit it to anyone but she was scared. She didn't want to see Al without his brother. It wasn't natural. Roy Mustang basically had to force her and Denny to come out here and pick Al up. They were to be Al's escort to Central. It was their job to fill him in on what had been happening within the military and such. She sighed again, her breath leaving marks of condensation on the windows. She knew they were close to Resembool.

"Maria."

She almost jumped out of her seat as Denny broke her train of thought. He rarely used her first name. She sat up straight as a start. "What is it Brosh?"

"I was just wondering…where do you think Al is going to be staying while preparing for the State Alchemist Exams?" he asked subtly. Maria didn't miss his implication.

She turned to face him with a playful smirk on her face. "Don't get any ideas now Sergeant. First off whoever Al stays with must be an alchemist which excludes you right off the bat." she said as she began numbering them off on her fingers. "They must be a minimum rank of Major. And they need to be someone more…" she paused looking up and down his profile with the utmost scrutiny. "Well, you know what I mean, so your house is definitely out of the question."

He didn't stop sulking for the rest of the train ride.

* * *

"Are you sure you want to do this Al?"

He nodded firmly. His eyes were set and determined, as if gazing towards some far off objective that only he could see. There was no way he was going to pull out now no matter what. Not even Winry could convince him otherwise. He was in his bedroom packing his bags for Central. "I promise that I'll bring brother back."

Winry smiled sadly, it had to have been the tenth time he had said that to her. 'I so want you to bring Ed back…I just hope that you don't lose yourself along the way…' she thought, looking down at the floor for a split-second before eyeing him closely. She leaned herself comfortably on the doorframe. "Make sure you don't forget your diaries Al." she said motioning to his night table. 'He is supposed to write any memory that returns in that diary.'

"Thanks, almost didn't pack them." He placed them evenly at the top of his knapsack, over a few sets of clothes, alchemy books and a couple other necessities. He zipped up the bag and lifted it onto his shoulder. "All ready." he said brightly, smiling at Winry. She nodded with a forced return smile and together they descended the stairs.

Winry felt a deep throbbing in her chest that she did her best to ignore. It was pulsating simultaneously with every step she took down the stairs, steadily growing more and more painful. There was a feeling of forbidding that had washed over her. It felt like a warning. 'I want Ed back…but I don't want to lose both of them, there has to be another way. They have gone through enough already.'

Al noticed her sudden change of heart. "What is it Winry?"

She inhaled sharply at being caught off guard. "It-t's nothing. I am fine." she stuttered. They had just reached the base of the stairs.

Al nodded but didn't seem convinced in the least. He opened the door to the kitchen, commons area. Inside Pinako was fitting Wrath with his new automail. He already had both his arm and leg on and was just waiting patiently for them to be activated.

"Get over here Winry. I am going to need your help." quipped Grandma Pinako.

Her granddaughter nodded and paced towards them, positioning herself by his automail arm, while Pinako stood at the leg.

Al knew what was coming. It happened a few times every week at the Rockbell house. The screams, the pain, it was absolute torture, the fitting of automail prosthetic limb, but for some reason Al always liked watching. It was strange. It wasn't as though he enjoyed watching people suffer, it wasn't that at all. There was something more, the process gave him a feeling of familiarity that nothing else ever gave him. He had always felt drawn to it, far more than he knew that he should have been. Most people would be running for the hills with their hands over their ears when the surgery was being preformed, but not Al. He stayed, always, and he felt as though part of his past was coming back to him. 'Probably because I know brother used to have it…' he thought lightly. Granny and Winry never commented on it, for which he was grateful.

"Ready?" asked Pinako.

Winry nodded, her face hardened in concentrating.

"One, two, three." Together they activated the mechanical limbs.

In an instant unbearable pain shot through Wrath's body. He clenched his eyes tightly, a breath caught high in his throat. He bit down hard on his lip as to stop from crying out. Where he had bit down began to bleed, streaming steadily down towards his chin. His breath came out unevenly once he thought it safe to finally exhale, occasionally wincing or making feebly noises from the still overwhelming agony.

"Al, help us move him to the couch." said Winry. She put her arm around Wrath's shoulders. Together Al, Winry and Pinako moved him out of the operation seat to the couch.

After they were certain that Wrath was okay they left to go outside, giving him some well needed privacy to recover.

It was a beautiful day. The sun was warming the normal October chill to something almost summer-like. Pinako looked up into the gleaming bright midmorning sun. It was a cloudless sky. She gazed to the heavens with a feeling of hope that she had not felt for a very long time, though she pointedly ignored the uneasiness that she felt in the pit of her stomach. "Now don't be like the pipsqueak." she said taking a puff from her pipe.

Al could help but smile. "What do you mean by that Granny?" he asked as he sat down on the porch steps.

Winry sat down on the steps beside him. "She means that you need to keep in contact Al."

Pinako nodded. "That's right now." She stood on Al's other side. "Last time I didn't get as much as a postcard from either of you for four years."

Al smile just grew bigger. "I'll try."

The old lady observed him objectively for a moment. "You know you may be just as good of liar as your brother. You won't write, just like last time. Not until you accomplish your goal that is."

He sighed, he was caught guilty. "I guess."

Winry seemed disheartened at this. "You know that you don't have to go yet Al. Rose is coming back in a few days with her son. She'd love to see you again."

Al shook his head with a sigh. He was not getting annoyed with her repetitiveness. Quite on the contrary, Al was level in replying, and understanding in his voice, but even so, he would not be swayed. "Winry I don't know how many times I have told you that I am not going to change my mind."

"But Al, your teacher Izumi, her husband Sig and others from Dublith are coming too! I don't think that she'd like to know that you've returned to the military." she said, her eyes widening. She was almost begging. This was her last chance to convince him to stay.

Al was unfazed. "Teacher may not like it but she understands why I have to. I have to try. I can't rest not knowing if brother is still out there somewhere." He stood up, his chin high. "They're here." He walked down the rest of the stairs to the dirt road.

Just then Master Sergeant Denny Brosh and Second Lieutenant Maria Ross came over the hill top. The sun overhead illuminated their silhouettes. Winry stayed sitting, her head bowed. 'Something isn't right.' she thought, but she knew that Al would hear none of her suspicions. He was dead set on the path that he had chosen. She felt a hand on her shoulder. "Aren't you going to say goodbye Winry?" It was her grandmother.

She nodded and got up, pacing until she was beside Al. It was no surprise that he was much taller than Ed had been at this age. Really, who wasn't? As a thirteen year old Al was 5'5', the same height Ed was when he was sixteen (and that is Ed with his boots and pointy hair). He was only an inch smaller than her, and she was nineteen.

To Maria and Denny, Al was almost a mirror image of his brother. His hair was long, light brown, and his low ponytail hung halfway down his back. His outfit was almost identical to the one Edward had worn. He had the same long red coat, with Izumi's emblem on the back, along with black pants and shirt, and large boots.

"Hey Al." greeted Denny giving him an offhanded salute. "Winry, Pinako." he nodded respectfully.

"Hello Al, Winry, Pinako." greeted Maria stiffly. She couldn't get over how much he looked like Edward now. She remembered him as a suit of amour so this was a major change.

Al smiled awkwardly. It felt strange being greeted so warmly by people that he never even remembered meeting. "Umm…hello…um…." He tailed off feeling foolish. He hadn't been told who was going to be picking him up from Resembool. The letter he had received had just said 'Military Personnel'.

"Sorry." she apologized quickly. "I forgot, you probably don't remember us. I am Second Lieutenant Maria Ross, and this is Master Sergeant Denny Brosh."

Al nodded to the both with a hesitant smile.

"I guess we had best get going then, remember the Brigadier wanted us to be back by four." said Denny.

"Brigadier? Brigadier General Mustang?" asked Al.

"The one and only." said Brosh shaking his finger in some sort of braggartly way.

"Oh be quiet Brosh." scolded Maria.

Al couldn't help but laugh at the way they bickered.

"This is it eh boy?" asked Pinako. She stepped forward and shook Al.'s hand, bidding him farewell. "Be good, and make sure that you don't obey to the militaries every whim."

Denny and Maria seemed a bit put out by this comment.

"Course Granny." he obliged without the slightest hesitation.

Al turned to Winry and held out his hand out, which she scoffed at it. "What is this Al?" she asked. She swatted away his hand and hugged him before he even knew what was happening. His eyes went wide in surprise, his body stiffening. It took a few seconds to relax. "Be careful." whispered Winry into his ear. She pulled away leaving Al red in the cheeks.

"I wi-ill Winry." He gave them both a confident smile and a thumbs up before turning on his heel and following Denny and Maria to the train station.

Winry and Pinako waved their goodbyes until the three of them were out of vision.

"He's going to get into a lot of trouble isn't he?"

"Un huh." confirmed Pinako, taking another puff.

Winry slumped over defeated and followed her grandmother back into the household.

* * *

**I have a link for an ****in-depth **_**'**__**Bluebirds Illusions'**_** overview & the intro video! Both are on my author's page. **

**For those who don't know, Izumi Curtis is the name of Ed and Al's teacher. She was their first instructor for alchemy.**

**Thank you for reading,**

**much love,**

**temariXshikamaruluva**


	3. The Sewing Life Alchemist

**Bluebirds Illusions – Pride, the deadliest sin**

**Chapter 3 – The Sewing Life Alchemist**

The train to Central was awfully crowded. There were mobs upon mobs of people who were taking up almost every seat in sight. They quickly found a spot in the final compartment on the last set of benches. They tried to sit in the most remote location so they could get away from all the annoying and curious, watchful eyes…well, as much as they could anyway. It didn't really work out though. There were still quite a number of passengers in their compartment, probably more than any other as a matter of fact. It seemed as though a number of fanatics had followed them. It was comical really, they were not even trying to hide the fact that they were staring, some with mouth agape, at the group as they made their way down the aisle.

With a sigh of relief Al plopped himself opposite of Maria and Denny. "What's going on with all those people?" asked Al once they had all taken their seats. He turned around and stole a glance from behind the bench at the rest of the compartment. All he saw was about fifty obsessively dazed faces that were turned his way. He made an involuntary sound and jumped back into his seat. "What is with them?" he asked quietly. He was grateful that his back was facing the rest of the train.

"Isn't it obvious?" said Denny lightly. He poked his face out of the bench waving forward at everyone else. "I didn't know that word of my promotion to Master Sergeant reached this far to the East." He pulled back with a cocky smirk implanted on his face.

"Really?" asked Al, his eyes wide in absolute admiration. "You must be pretty famous eh?"

Denny put his hands behind his head and nodded arrogantly.

It was evident that Maria's wasn't as impressed. "Oh please Brosh…' she mumbled rolling her eyes.

That set him off like a firecracker. "What do you mean by that Lieutenant!?" he demanded, his voice echoing throughout the entire compartment. Al was forced to cover his ears at Denny's sudden, unprovoked frenzy. His eyes were darting back and forth between the two of them, wondering what the big deal was as they took turns taking shots at each other. 'These people are kind of weird…and scary…'

"Do you always feel the need to raise your voice?" She shook her head at him and turned her attention to Alphonse. "Now Al there could only be two reasons that they are so curious about us. Both of them have to do with you."

"Me?! What did I do?!"

"Do you have to be loud too?" She asked giving him a sharp, scolding look.

He shook his head vigorously. "No Miss!"

She froze, raising an eyebrow. "Miss?"

'Oh no, that's not right is it?' Al's eyes went wide. "Sorry, I mean umm...I mean Second Lieutenant Ma'am."

'I don't think that I have ever been called Miss for a long time…' She shook her head to rid herself of her thoughts. "Anyway, they both have to do with you. Denny and I came here on a crowed train, just like this one and no one gave us a second look, other than a couple of angry looks from those who still hate the military and will until the day they die."

"But the looks that people were giving us they weren't angry." Al pointed out.

Maria nodded. "Exactly. Which means that they are wondering who you are."

Al looked puzzled. "I don't get it. Why?"

"Do you have any idea what kind of name you and your brother made for yourselves, especially in the East?" she said in a praising voice, her eyes softening in memories. 'I think that I must be turning into a nostalgic sap…'

"But didn't you just say that people didn't like the military so some people gave you dirty looks. Brother was in the military."

Maria nodded again. "That is right. But you and your brother gave the people hope that there was a hero of the people among us _military dogs_. You and your brother never did much by the books but that is what made you both so famous. You two were the first alchemists in a long time who really upheld the motto 'Alchemist be thou for the people.' "

Al seemed at loss for words. He had heard it all before but he still found it hard to get his head around it all when many people really were staring at him wherever he went. It was even more unnerving when you take into account that he remembered none of what he did to give him such a reputation. He knew that it was somewhat to be expected but still it wasn't normal and it wasn't natural and so it came as a surprise to him nonetheless.

Denny seemed a little put out by the fact that it wasn't him that the passengers were gawking at. 'I want to be famous too…this guy is just a kid and he already has all of East City at his feet.' he thought enviously.

She leaned forward so only Al could hear. "Now there could only be two reasons that they are staring at you. A) – they are wondering how you are related to the famous Edward Elric or B) – they are interested if an Elric is entering the military because that would definitely bring their hopes up."

"Couldn't they think I am Ed too?" he joked lightly. "You did say that I look like him, didn't you?" said Al smiling softly.

"I never thought of that, but I doubt it." said Maria with a smart look.

Al's smile turned to a frown. "What? Why not?"

"Well, the news that Edwards' grave is going to be added into the military cemetery reached this area quicker than anywhere else. Believe me it was a big deal. There were hundreds of people, some of which your brother had never even met who requested an open funeral so that they could attend, and pay their respects to him. But I think that even the craziest people would think that he's still…" She tailed off at seeing Al's mortified expression.

"The-y-y They." he stuttered in a low monotone. "They what?" his voice was strikingly vacant.

Denny finally perked up. "You didn't know? The military had been debating it for ages, ever since he disappeared really. Mustang was dead set against it but General Hakuro overruled him. He said that three years was enough proof that he wasn't coming back-"

"Denny." said Maria sharply.

He seemed not to notice Maria's warning and continued his ramblings. "Not that I really blame him though. Three years? If someone who could be missing for three years and come back alive that would be awesome, but who are we kidding-"

"Denny!" she exclaimed even louder.

He seemed to just notice Al's absolutely miserable demeanor. He was slouched, his head bowed, his bangs covering hid eyes that were probably clamped shut. His fists were bared angrily.

"Oh Al…you didn't know?" asked Maria softly.

Al just shook his head slightly. She moved up on her seat, her melancholic expression gazed at him though the soft, understanding eyes that Al always found annoying. She reached forward, placing a hesitant hand on Al's shoulder.

"I am so sorry Al. We sent a letter to Resembool about it. I am sure of it."

He didn't make any move that he had heard her. 'I get it… Winry would never be able to tell me something like this…no wonder she was acting so strange. But brother…he is not dead so why are they making a grave for him. It is not right…it is just not right. I know he is out there. I will find him, and prove them all wrong…' There was something about having a grave that made the concept of his brothers' death final, absolute, and it scared him. It couldn't be. That was the reason he joined the military in the first place so he could get Ed back. None of this was making any sense. It just wasn't possible.

"But Al it was inevitable." said Maria softly, squeezing his shoulder lightly before pulling away. "Three years…I mean I guess if anyone could do it, it would be Edward but we all need to move on."

"No." said Al quietly.

"But Al…"

"I know that both of you must think I am crazy but I know exactly where he is. I just need to find a way to bring him back."

Maria's eyes darkened. "That's why you joined the military isn't it?"

Al nodded.

"Hold on a sec." butted in Denny. He was completely lost. "If you know where Ed is then why haven't you brought him back already?"

"Isn't that simple."

Maria's eyes went wide in realization. "You're not going to try human transmutation again are you? That is a taboo!" she professed as quietly as she could.

"What's the problem? It's not as though I even remember doing it in the first place." he said quietly.

"Al!" she exclaimed.

He smiled sadly and raised his head. The effect was unnerving. It didn't reach his now hollow eyes, making him look empty, soulless and…devoured. "Of course not."

Denny seemed relieved but Maria wasn't so easily convinced. "If not human transmutation then what do you plan on doing to bring him back?" she asked attentively.

"You're talking as if he is already dead." Al was speaking as quietly as ever. It was becoming rather worrisome.

"Al please!" Maria was looking at him pleadingly but then an even more terrible idea came to her. "You're not planning on making the philosophers stone again are you?" she asked.

"No, I don't think I could even if I wanted to…I don't know exactly how I am going to get him back. I just thought that being in the military would give me resources that I need to get him back." Al's eyes gained some colour and soul which eased the worry of both of his company. "I have to try…I can't rest not knowing."

Denny still seemed as puzzled as ever. "You keep on saying that you'll bring him back but back from where? You say he is not dead, but we haven't seen him for three years, where has he been?"

"That is something he can tell you for himself."

"Huh??"

Maria rolled her eyes. She had only been with Al for a little over an hour and she was already worrying about him. She decided better than to converse over the sensitive subjects such as Edward, and human transmutation. Al was thankful for that. He had had enough for one day. For the remainder of the ride Maria Ross and Denny Brosh gave Al the information for the State Alchemist Exam. They explained how there was three parts, the written, interview then the practical. It was not rare in the least to have a year where none were accepted. Normally there was anywhere between zero and two people chosen. It was once every dynasty that three or more were accepted. Al was to be staying at an alchemist's house. With who, they didn't know yet. They told him of Roy Mustang and his loyal team of Riza Hawkeye, Jean Havoc, Heymans Breda, Vato Falman and Kain Fuery. Of course they couldn't forget Lieutenant Colonel Armstrong either, along with Private Sciezka. They told him of the K.I.A. Maes Hughes, his wife Gracia and beautiful daughter Alicia. She was six now, almost seven.

The train ride lasted for another couple hours by which time both Denny and Al were asleep.

Maria felt terrible that she had to wake them up from their slumber.

She leaned over so that her mouth was just over Brosh's ear. "Up!" she said softly. Brosh yawned, stretching his arms out before rolling over where he began to snore heavily, burrowing himself into the seat. Maria sighed, hands on hips. She shook her head and grasped his shoulders, shaking him a little bit. "Brosh…Brosh…Broooossssh…" He turned back over, reached up again, swatting her away lethargically, while still snoring soundly and turning over again. She sighed again, rolling her eyes. "Okay, that is it." she mumbled under her breath. She leaned over so that her lips were right over his hear. "Get up!!" she exclaimed. Both Al and Denny were finally woken from their sleep.

They both gasped audibly, sitting bolt upright.

"Hey Maria! What was that for!?" protested Denny.

"I wouldn't have had to do that if you were sleeping like some deaf zombie!"

Al just sighed, slumping over in his seat. 'There they go again…'

It took quite a while for Al to break up their quarrel and bring them outside. At first glance Al was taken aback by the size and grandeur of the station. The ceilings were high, echoing the sounds of all the arriving and departing trains throughout the entire building. The walls were all made of up of enormous, clear glace windows panes that were letting the bright afternoon sun shine through, illuminating the station to the point where it was almost glowing. It took a while to get used to from the contrasts of the dimly lit train.

"Like it Al?" asked Denny.

"Un huh…" he was somewhat in awe. He had hardly moved at all since they had gotten off the train.

"Wait Al, you forgot your diary on the train." said Maria. "I'll go get it."

"No!" he exclaimed loudly, his voice echoing slightly. Al went red in the face, embarrassed about why he made such a loud protest. People were starting at him even more than before. "No." he repeated in a quieter voice. "It's fine. I'll go get it." he jumped up the stairs to the train.

"Do you want me to come with you?" asked Maria.

"No I am fine!" he called back. He was already inside the train. Al turned into the last compartment. After a few paces he stopped suddenly. Someone else was there in there with him. He was in the isle beside the far end of the compartment where he, Maria and Denny had sat.

Al could only see his back. He was quite tall, almost 7 '0'. He was very wide as well, maybe not as big as Armstrong but still quite enormous. He was wearing a large grey overcoat that skimmed the floors, and he had large oversized hood that covered his head. "Hey, who are you?" asked Al boldly.

The man turned around with reflexes that someone of his size shouldn't have possessed. Most of his face was covered as well. All Al could see was his eyes, which looked as though they were malformed. Something was seriously off about this man. "Alphonse…it has been a long time." he said. His voice was unexpectedly high and it came smoothly, yet still marred with a slight but definite rasp. It was chilling. Al had never heard anything like it before. "Are you looking for your diary? I must say it is very interesting."

"You read it!?"

Al was sure that this man was smiling beneath the hood. "Oh yes. Oh yes. I almost forgot. You lost your memory of living in that metal body. You don't remember me do you? I guess that is for the best." He began to pace towards Al, diary in hand.

Al took a few steps back. "Who are you?" he demanded again.

He ignored Al. "I do think that you'll have to repay me though. It is the principle of equivalent exchange after all. I will do you a favor. I want the philosopher stone, and now I know that the only way I can is through Edward now that it looks as though you've forsaken it." He rambled, seemingly talking more to himself than Al.

"What do you mean?"

His head jerked towards Al surveying him for a split second before replying. "You'll find out soon enough."

With animal-like speed he sprinted over the seats as though they were hurtles, and disappeared out of the cabin's door before Al could do anything. 'Who was he…I don't remember but I must have know him from while I was in the metal body, that much is clear, but still, how does he recognize me now if he only knew me while I was in the metal body?' He took a deep breath and picked up his diary which the man had left. He headed back out to the platform. 'I don't think that I should tell Maria or Denny about this...it would only worry them. Well, maybe not Denny so much, but Maria for sure.'

He quickly jumped out of compartment onto the stations ground.

"What took you so long?" asked Denny.

"Nothing." replied Al evenly. 'Maybe Granny is right, I can lie. I still don't think I am as good as brother though.'

They both nodded, neither suspecting anything. Al put on his backpack and was led to a car outside the station that was to take him to Central Headquarters where he was to sign up for the exam.

"This is where we leave you Al." said Maria with a soft smile. 'I hope that you find whatever it is that you are looking for.'

"Yea, see ya around Al." said Denny.

Al felt heat rise into his cheeks when they both saluted him.

* * *

"Shit."

"Must you always use such coarse language Brigadier?"

"I will use coarse language whenever I see fit Hawkeye." he snapped back at his First Lieutenant. Roy was sitting at his head desk, undoubtedly in a grumpy mood. He had just hung up the phone after being informed of something really disturbing, and obviously problematic.

Riza frowned at him. He rarely spoke to her with such bite. "What is it Roy?" she asked. She would rarely call him by his first name whenever any of Roy's other subordinates were around. She set down her own papers and headed over to his desk stopping right in front of it, respectfully waiting his reply.

Roy's frown was deepening by the second. "It's Tucker, he's missing."

Riza didn't ever try to hide her surprise. "Shou Tucker? The Sewing Life Alchemist?"

He nodded. "I wanted that man executed years ago but the higher-ups would have nothing of it. They wanted him to continue his experiments on Chimeras and other deprived beats. Now look what they've done."

"You don't think him escaping the military's control would have anything to do with Al planning on taking the State Alchemist Exam, do you?" asked Riza. She was growing as edgy as the Brigadier. This was serious news.

"I am not surprised you came to such a conclusion as well. Unfortunately it does. I am almost sure of it." he said quietly.

"How are you so certain?"

"Because Al's old metal body, it is missing from the labs too."

* * *

**I have a link to a ****Bluebirds Illusions OVERVIEW**** on my authors page should anyone be interested!**

**much love,**

**temariXshikamaruluva **


	4. The Resurrected

**Bluebirds Illusions – Pride, the deadliest sin**

**Chapter 4 – The Resurrected **

_Our life is made upon the death of others – Leonardo Da Vinci_

'Perfection. Why does mankind never cease to strive for something that they shall never obtain? And when someone is blessed with a flash of perfection they never appreciate it and always want more. We humans are so cursedly flawed, doomed to a vain existence.' she thought morbidly. To her it looked like hell. Blood was everywhere, splattered across the floors, walls and ceiling. Small electrical alchemic currents were still flashing every few instances causing various parts of the room to suddenly light up. All the lights had been destroyed when the human transmutation was attempted. Nevertheless she knew the creation of her and her capturer lay in the center of the room. She had seen its grotesque form. Skin was almost nonexistent; the things innards were clear and rubbery. It had wide golden eyes and a few stray hairs of the same colour. She did her best not to look in its direction, she was certain it was the same as the first homunculi she had created. Her pained scowl deepened as she looked down at her hands that were supporting her now mangled form. They had marred the lives of so many people, today was no different.

'However there are a wise few that see us humans differently. They say that we are pure and inherently good. I know for a fact that I am not one of them.' She smiled awkwardly at the irony of it all. It was pitiful and would have been heart stopping had anyone witnessed it. She was in so much mental and physical pain, and it was shone clearly through her blood, dirt and tear streaked face. It was inhumane, the torture that she was forced to go through. It was true that she had committed a taboo. Human transmutation was a sin against nature and she knew it as well as anyone, but this time it hadn't been her fault, she hadn't been given a choice. 'After all this time I cannot understand how our own people, our own blood-bonded race can do this too each other.' She let out a heavy sob, trying to grasp her leg that was now nothing more than a blood caked stump. It had been taken into the gate as equivalent exchange. But what did she get in return? A repugnant homunculi of a person that she didn't even know in the first place. What was left of her leg was pouring her blood out in large oozing gushes that would splat nauseatingly to the floor. She knew she would die from blood loss if she didn't act quickly.

She looked around the darkened room, occasionally seeing the clothes that her capturer had worn on the ground when they were lit up by the alchemic sparks. They lay across the floor in messy and soiled piles. She knew that his body and soul has been taken to the gate. It was a fate worse than death but she didn't really care. From her perspective he deserved it.

He had been a chimera. She was sure that he had been an Amestrian alchemist who had come from across the boarder into her country of Xue-Kwin. 'Shou Tucker…that is what he said his name was…I bet he was, or had been a member of State Military in Amestris. That is the only explanation. It is true that alchemists are few and far between in this country and all the other alchemists families in this country are on the other side of the civil war. But it is still impossible for this man, this thing to have been part of the eastern Xue-Kwin rebellion because I know for a fact that none have ever experimented with human transmutation. My family is the only one guilty of that. Nor do I think any of them have developed chimeras.' She winced heavily, as her body began to feel the repercussions of her blood loss more acutely. 'Damn it, I have to do something.' She haphazardly pulled herself across the room, bumping harshly into some things that she couldn't see, leaving a thick trail of blood in her wake. She did her best not to even look in the direction of the thing that Shou had forced her to make. It would be no different then the homunculus that she and her older brothers had created of their father all those years ago. The memories still haunted her in her dreams. She had lost her left arm then, trying to bring her father back to life. Her left arm was still automail from that failed transmutation, and now she had just lost her left leg. She finally made it to the door and reached up to grasp the handle.

She cried out in agony. Her arm was stretched to an inhuman extent. She finally grasped the handle and with great difficulty managed to wrench it open. The brightness of the hallway burned her eyes at first. She half dragged herself through a hallway. It was right by a set of stairs which led up to the main level.

She could hear people rushing around the level above. "Help!!" she called feebly. "Down here!!"

She could here the busting stop for a split second, and a man spoke in a loud booming voice. "Hurry men, someone is down there." A few seconds later a group of Amestrian military personnel came rushing down the stairs to her aide.

"Medic!!" called one of them at the sight a the streaked pool of blood coming from her stump of a leg. "Get down here quick!"

"Relax girl. You're going to be just fine now."

"Damn, Who did this to your leg?"

Her head was spinning there were so many people swarming around, crowding her till she was overwhelmed. Her double vision was making her feel nauseous and thus making things worse than they already were. The darkness was slowly beginning to consume her. She knew that she wouldn't be able to fight it for much longer.

She moaned in anguish. Someone had picked her up carefully and laid her down on some sort of first aid operating pallet that was elevated just on top of the floor. Someone else was already wrapping her stump of a leg with medical bandaging.

"Keep her awake. She could fall into a coma if she looses consciousness." ordered a leading medic.

Someone quickly held her head level, supporting her. "You don't look like you're from Xue-Kwin girl." he said looking at her streaked face. "Every citizen that I've seen has got that olive, oriental skin and sharp, slanted black eyes. But you have red hair and blue eyes. Are you from somewhere else?"

"My…mother was Amestrian…father Xue-Kwin…" she mumbled. She knew that they were asking these stupid questions so that they could keep her from passing out but the world was fading fast now.

"Really Amestrian?" they asked with genuine surprise. "I thought immigration was prohibited at the time you would have been born." He paused looking at her with a curious expression. 'But still Xue-Kwin hates immigrants even now. I don't know of anyone who immigrated here by choice because of how terribly foreigners are discriminated against.' He began to wipe down her dirty face with a medical cloth. "How old are you girl?"

She started to choke on blood she was coughing up in mouthfuls. "Not…prohibited for…alchemists. I am…sixteen."

"Your mother was an alchemist? Are you?"

She nodded.

'Who is this?' He narrowed his eyes at her. "What is your name girl?" he asked.

"Uh…Nanami…Tsumang…." she mumbled.

'…no...' He was frozen in shock. "Shit." he mumbled under his breath, his eyes widening. "We have the daughter of the Tsumang alchemist dynasty here!!"

"Really?!"

"We can't afford to loose her!"

"We need to bring her to Central for protection and questioning!"

"What are you guys doing here?" she asked weakly.

"Have you been in the dark girl? Your town has practically been flattened to the ground during the past few hours from the Eastern Xue-Kwin rebellion and some chimeras. All of the Amestrian Eastern Command was ordered to come here and help fend off the attack. We are on your side of the war girl. We got here too late though. We haven't found too many survivors."

"What!?" she tried to sit up only to be pushed back down by many sets of arms.

"Stay down."

"No…" she mumbled. "No, no… No!!" her loudness increasing with each exclamation. Her breath was coming out in short painful rasps. "Can't be… he promised if I did this, if I did a human transmutation that my…that they'd be safe…" her thoughts were becoming more and more jumbled by the second. The darkness was creeping up on her fast now. "No, no…" she mumbled incoherently. Her life was shattered, destroyed. Her entire city, gone. He had promised, Shou had sworn to her that if she helped him bring Edward Elric back that he'd spare her city. But it was just then she realized something. 'He wanted the philosopher stone.' She of course had no idea how a philosopher stone was created but she had a feeling that some of the few survivors would be tempted to create one now. They wanted to turn pain into the light, war into victory and this philosophers' stone is said to do just that. She wondered if that had been Shou's plan all along, or if he was acting under the influence of another group…the homunculi perhaps. It didn't really matter, not anymore. She had already lost most of her brothers, her mother and her father. She wondered dully if it was him, her father homunculus who formed this plan.

"We are loosing her!! Damn it!"

"Keep her awake!"

Whatever they tried didn't work. She fell through the darkness without resistance. She embraced it with open arms. It was far more peaceful than reality.

Suddenly in an instant all that happened flashed before her eyes in an instant.

A tall cloaked man, almost 7'0', with a long coat that covered his entire body from head to toe, and a hat and hood that hid almost hid almost all of his face. He had approached her this morning asking her to accompany him to his house to help out with fixing his something trivial. She now knew this man as Shou Tucker.

Trapped down in the basement of a house that she suspected wasn't his, presumed to be abandoned.

Being tricked, being overpowered, being chained down.

Threatened with the destruction of her entire city should she not do as he asked. Had she refused he would unleash his hundred chimeras upon her city.

Her acceptance…she had been the sole alchemist in the city and was therefore entrusted with its protection. She did as he wished even knowing the cost was high. But she didn't have a choice. She couldn't have abandon her city.

Told that she was to revive the famous Fullmetal Alchemist, Edward Elric so he could create the philosophers' stone again with which Shou could resurrect his daughter Nina's soul.

Tucker having her transmute the memories of a large metal suit of armor into what would become the homunculi. Him saying that the metal body had been a container for Alphonse's soul, Edward's younger brother.

The failed transmutation.

Seeing the gate for the second time in her life.

Tucker loosing his body and soul to the gate, and her loosing her leg.

Her leg broken down by the forces of alchemy.

The nauseating creature that she had created.

The Amestrian military coming in.

Told that her town was destroyed even though she did as Shou had asked and revived Edward Elric as a homunculus. Told that the eastern Xue-Kwin rebellion and Shou Tuckers' chimeras attacked her city.

Her town flattened.

…abolished…

…massacred…

Where was the equivalency? What had she obtained from all that she had lost?

…her mother…her brother Ryo…her father…her arm…her other brothers, Yoshi, Eiji, Takeo…her leg…her entire city…and now Hitoshi….

And for what?

What did she gain? Other than the guilt of knowing that she had once again created homunculi.

* * *

_**A few days earlier in Central Amestris…**_

Central Headquarters was not even close to what Al had been expecting. Everyone was at least in their mid twenties and wore the typical blue military uniform. All of them were running down the hallways in a sense of emergency. Most were talking frantically about a war in the neighboring country to the east. 'Xue-Kwin' he thought to himself. He gathered that the Military was supporting the Western Part of the Country, the part that bordered East Amestris. The country of Xue-Kwin was also not too far away from Resembool which was in the east of Amestris. Also he was sure he heard something about a man named Shou Tucker and chimeras were definitely mentioned as well. What was rather annoying though was that when many people passed him in the hallway they either slowed down considerably, while a few even stopped dead. They did anything from nodding respectfully towards him, saluting him, shaking his hand, telling him directly how happy they were that he was joining the military to fight in the Xue-Kwin rebellion or even just staring at him with their mouth agape in some sort of comical, dumbstruck awe. He was relieved when he had finally reached the General's office door.

He knocked twice. It was only then did he realize how nervous he was. He had been waiting to meet this man and his team for the past three years. He tried to not look as anxious as he was inside. He could hear a lot of commotion going on inside the doors but all the voices were muffled.

"Wait!!" he heard someone call.

Al seemed a little confused but still curious about what was going on. He pressed his ear against the wall but still he couldn't quite make out anything that made much sense. He knocked again without reply. Still the commotion grew even louder. 'What is going on in there?' He grasped the handle lightly, debating whether or not he should go inside. Then he distinctly heard the sound of a gun shot and wrenched the door open on instinct. Had he been comfortable with the people present (he probably had been but he didn't remember that) and had not been so worried he may have started laughing.

A very regal looking woman whom Al could only see the back of had her gun aimed in front of her in a stance which showed that she had done it millions of timed before. Her gun was facing in the direction of a man with dark hair and thin sharp dark eyes. His eyes were wide, clearly fearful of this woman. There was a bullet shot mark less than a centimeter away from his head. There were two groups of two men in room with them. They looked as though they had been trying to stop the conflict. Two of them, a slightly overweight man with red hair and a taller man of 6'0' with blond hair lay at the feet of the woman with bruises evident on their form. It seemed like they had been beaten up by her. The other two men, a very short man and a tall man with grayish hair lay on either side of the man whom the woman was shooting at.

"You aim is as good as ever Riza." commented Breda with a quavery, high pitch voice.

She frowned slightly, slowly lowering her gun. "What are you talking about? I missed."

Everyone's jaw dropped.

'Who is this scary woman…?' thought Al.

She put her gun back in its holder on her hip, and slowly turned around to face the open door which Al was standing in, mouth agape. Her eyes were clenched closed, clearly annoyed. "You do know that barging into someone else's office isn't polite and not permitted…' she tailed off. She had just opened her eyes and realized who it was. "Alphonse…?"

He jumped involuntarily. 'She knows who I am?! I better get out while I can!' But he was frozen in his spot. He couldn't bring himself to move.

"Hey everyone it's Al." said Havoc picking himself up. He smirked at Al. It looked a little odd with a cigarette sticking out of his mouth.

"Really?" asked Fuery who was readjusting his glasses to get a better look.

"Hey Al's here." said Breda.

"Been a long time." said Falman. Each of them had made their way a little way behind Riza.

He felt his face go red. They knew him but he couldn't remember a thing about any of them. It felt so strange. "Hello." he greeted. "Umm…I was supposed to see Mr. um Mustang, oh…I mean Brigadier General." Al looked over the four of the men. He wondered which one he was.

Riza's eyes softened. 'He doesn't remember a thing…' the thought sadly, but she quickly returned to her normal self, her eyes darkening again. "Well than you had better go speak with him."

Al nodded. He again looked over the four men ahead of him, waiting for one of them to speak up and say that they were the General.

"He's back there." said Riza pointing behind her to the man who she had been shooting at when he had just entered. He hadn't moved from his spot.

"Oh! Okay." said Al. He was slightly surprised.

"We'll give you some privacy." she said. She ushered the other four men out of the office before she followed and closed the door behind her.

The man, Roy Mustang was just now picking himself of the floor. He wiped a bead of sweat off his forehead. It was evident that he was relieved that Riza had left. However he knew that it was only a matter of time till she confronted him again.

Al hesitantly walked the length of the room and stood a few paces before the desk. "General." said Al. He fought to keep his voice even.

Roy smirked slightly. "I wasn't expecting that you'd catch me at such a compromising position but anyway, first impressions are never to be trusted, wouldn't you agree?"

Al nodded without even thinking.

"Yes, it's a good thing too, because if that wasn't the case I'd still be jeering Fullmetal, and he'd try to return the favour." he said smoothly. He continued before Al had soaked in what he had just said. "The State Alchemist Exams are being held in two months. I trust that Brosh and Ross have already filled you in on the details?" he asked placing his hands together.

Al nodded again, frowning at realizing what Roy had said about his brother. "Whose house am I staying at?"

Roy's smirk grew even bigger. "I thought that it would have been obvious. Mine."

"Yours?" asked Al, unable to keep the slightly rude abruptness from his voice.

Roy frowned at this. "Do you think you could find better?"

He inhaled sharply. "No, no of course not!" exclaimed Al shaking his hands in front of himself frantically.

His frown deepened, he wasn't convinced. "It is because you have seen me at my worse." he said leaning back in his chair, looking at the ceiling. "Hawkeye is a tough one, she is almost never this angry with me though." he said, his scowl becoming more pronounced. "During the next two months I will be telling you all of what you and your brother did during your years in the military so you become more familiar with it."

"Okay thank you very much." said Al. His eyes were wide and excited. "I really do want to remember."

Roy nodded; a slightly saddened expression coming on his face, but it was gone instantly.

Al felt slightly awkward in Roy's presence. This man had been the person who knew more than anyone about the endeavors of both of him and his brother while working under the military. "Umm…may I ask, why it is that Riza Hawkeye so angry with you?"

He scoffed slightly. "You'll find out soon enough."

Al looked perplexed. "What do you mean, how?"

Roy leaned back in his chair again with a miserable look on his face. "In a little less than nine months you'll find out."

He raised an eyebrow. 'Nine months what is talking about-' He froze looking in realization. He gaped at the General with a look of absolute disbelief.

* * *

**I THOUGHT IT WAS CLEAR BUT THE MYSERIOUS MAN ON THE TRAIN**** LAST CHAPTER WAS SHOU TUCKER –THE SEWING LIFE ALCHEMIST**

**For those who are slightly lost this is what is going on,**

**Shou Tucker escaped the military's control, and as suspected in the previous chapter took Al's old metal body with him. After reading Al's diary on the train he realizes that Al wont create the philosopher stone so he goes to Xue-Kwin which a country bordering the east of Amestris. On a city close to the border he captures a girl named Nanami Tsumang, a young teenage alchemist whose mother was an Amestrian alchemist and her father was a citizen of Xue-Kwin. He forces her to commit human transmutation for the second time in her life. (She and her brothers already tried to bring their father back a few years ago, his homunculus is still out there) She agrees because otherwise he would have unleashed a hundred chimeras upon her defenseless city. She and Shou bring Edward back as a homunculus. She thinks that Shou's body and soul is taken to the gate. Her left leg is taken to the gate as equivalent exchange. Almost the entire Amestrian east HQ was ordered to help the west of Xue-Kwin to fight off the attack. Even though Nanami did as she had been asked her entire city was destroyed as the military personnel told her. She is the daughter of the Tsumang dynasty, the most powerful family on the Western side of the War. Most of her family has already been killed including many of her siblings and both of her parents, although her father is now a homunculus. She is going to be taken to Central for questioning and protection.**

**It is suspected that Shou may have been working with the Eastern Xue-Kwin rebellion, or Homunculi, or both.**

_**Map**_

-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\**North**-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\

-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\**West**\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\**East**\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\

-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\**South**-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\

-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\**Amestris**\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\**Xue-Kwin**\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\

-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\**North Amestrian HQ**-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-**North Xue-Kwin HQ**-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\

**West Amestris HQ**\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\**East Amestris HQ **(Ishbal, Lior, Resmbool)\-\-\-\-\-**West X-K HQ** (where Nanami & Shou are)-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\**East X-K HQ**(rebels)

-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\**South Amestris HQ**-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\**South X-K HQ**\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\

**Should ****anyone still be confused or have a question please ask and I will definitely send a reply message right away.**

**much love,**

**temariXshikamaruluva**


	5. To Central

**Bluebirds Illusions – Pride, the deadliest sin**

**Chapter 5 – To Central **

"It is pitiful really." His nose was turned up in disgust at the oozing half formed homunculus that was sprawled out feebly over the dirt-caked floor in front of him.

His other company made a high pitch gurgling, grunting noise as his reply. Slobber was running down his unflatteringly wide face. He had practically buried himself in something that would churn and human's stomach. It was clear that he was eating it whatever it was, that was all he ever did after all.

"To think that the girl committed human transmutation twice and lived. I thought that this time would have surely killed her. The gate does no forgive nor forget sinners."

"Twice Sloth?" asked Gluttony.

He smirked, still looking down objectively at the fragile homunculus. "Yes, her first human transmutation before Fullmetal Alchemist boy here was me. When my body, mind and soul had been that of a human, she had been my daughter." His eyes hardened cruelly on the pathetic creature on the floor. "It is fortunate that we had some left over red stones otherwise this homunculus would not have survived." He knelt down with stones in hand, shaking them enticingly. The thing turned over. He was still malformed but he was now beginning to resemble whom Nanami and Shou Tucker had tried to resurrect.

Gluttony paused momentarily in his eating binge. "You told Shou to resurrect the blondie."

"I know. It could not have worked out better really. He wanted the philosophers' stone to bring back his daughters lost soul. After he realized that Alphonse could not and would not give him what he desired it was easy for me to influence him to bring back Edward Elric here instead. Of course masters' idea of having Shou implant the memories of Al's old metal body into Ed's homunculus was not a bad idea either. Shou would never risk for his daughter to become a homunculus so he did as I told him without any resistance. All he had to do was get someone who knew the entities human transmutation, and I told him where to find the perfect one. Little did he know that we were playing with him the entire time. Homunculi can't perform alchemy, and thus can't make the philosophers' stone that he had so desired in the first place."

"You said your daughter could help?" asked Gluttony lightly. He was not even facing Sloth in favor of eyeing some more of what he would call food with a look of utmost obsession.

His face hardened menacingly. "She is not my daughter. She and those damned brothers of hers gave me this half-life. I will kill them, all of them. Their lives will be ingredients in the philosophers' stone that some of the surviving citizens of that attack on the east of Xue-Kwin will undoubtedly try to create. Their souls could even be added into their own personal attempts of the stone." He snorted rudely. "If that were indeed to come to pass the irony of it all might be just too much. I was hoping that this second human transmutation would have killed her but I guess that I will have to finish her off myself."

Gluttony raised his eyebrow. It was strange how he could look so innocent yet still be such a mindless killer. "What should we name him?"

Sloth felt the need to snort again. It sounded as though he were a parent of a newly born child. He brushed back the new homunculi's golden hair and gazed into the creatures orbs that were of the very same colour. "It seems as though the plan might very well be a success." He smirked. "His eyes aren't empty. Shou successfully transmuted the memories of Al's old metal body into this homunculus. He remembers who he was. Oh yes, he remembers exactly who he was." He frowned at a red tattoos that the homunculi had been branded with. It went all over most of his body. 'I wonder what those markings are for.' he thought curiously. He got up though was still looking down at the thing. "He is Pride."

"Pride?"

He nodded. "From what I heard of this kid when he was alive he was as cocky as they come." For a few seconds he was sorely tempted to make him Envy after this boys' half brother but decided better of it. 'I have a feeling that we have not seen the last of that homunculus. But no matter, I do think that this one, Pride will be an asset beyond any. Everyone knows his face as the Fullmetal Alchemist, even many citizens of Xue-Kwin and he has memories that will encourage him to feel unlike the rest of us. He will destroy anyone who was close to him while he had been alive. It is obvious that they will betray him when the figure out what he is. After that, it will be all uphill for us. It will be the same as Amestris had been when the East of Xue-Kwin takes over.'

* * *

"This is your house?"

"Well what were you expecting?" he responded smoothly.

Al halted in midstride. He felt as though something had just crashed into him. Roy Mustang was a tough one to read. Al was doing his best to tread carefully, but was always uncertain of what to say. 'What…? Was that somehow offensive?' he thought with a slight nervousness. 'I can't tell what I am supposed to say to him.' He continued cautiously a few paces behind the General.

The walkway to the front door was remarkably wide. It could probably fit three or four people walking side by side. It was stone and very elegant. It led to two sets of outdoor stairs that brought them level with the large wooden outlined doors that were almost completely made of stain glass. The house was only a few minutes drive from Central HQ. You could easily walk there within ten to twenty minutes. It was a bungalow made of stucco, but even so, it was still exceptionally sophisticated. There were large rectangular windows covering most of the front side.

Roy immediately led Al through the house to the room where he was to be staying. It was at the back of the house behind the kitchen. He put his backpack down on the twin bed. It was a fair sized room. Its bare walls were painted royal blue and had mahogany wood flooring covered by a flattering area rug. A large window looked out to the backyard and an oversized dresser was by the door.

"The library is at the front of the house. All that you'll need to study for the exam will be there. I will fill you in soon enough about what went on during your four years under military."

Al nodded and plopped himself down on the bed beside his bag and took in the room. "Did you do the décor for this house?" he asked in a terrible attempt at small talk.

He frowned at Al. "What are you getting at?"

"Nothing, I just never thought that someone such as you would be so skilled at decorating." he said levelly, trying sheepishly to get on this man's good side.

It didn't work, his frown deepened. "You're right Alphonse. This is Riza's work."

"The one you got pregnant?" Al inhaled sharply and covered his mouth with both hands at realizing what he just said. A clear red blush was creeping slowly onto his face.

Roy actually seemed amused. "At least I know that you're paying attention. Anyway, I guess that you can start your studying. I need to return to Headquarters." He turned on his heel and headed out of the room but stopped in his tracks. "Wait, I almost forgot. There is a set of keys for this house on the front mantle piece for you."

Al nodded allowing Roy to continue on his way.

To be honest with himself Al was not what Roy had been expecting in the least. He knew his personality from years previous, but still, it was not the same as before. Al was much bolder than Roy would have anticipated. 'Probably because Fullmetal isn't around, so Al has to make up for all of his brothers' smartass comments….' he thought. Still it was strange looking down at the boy when not to long ago Roy got regular neck cramps from cranking his head so far back to see all of Al's 7'3' metal body.

* * *

"Where am I?" she asked. Her voice disgusted her. It was so hoarse and weak. She did not like the sound of it in the least. There was a lot of commotion and rustling going on around her. She could sense that many people were not too far away. She did not have the strength to open her eyes to see for herself…well not yet. 'What happened to me?'

"She's awake." said a level males voice.

"You are on a train ma'am."

Had she not been so exhausted, she would have rolled her eyes. 'Ma'am? Yeah ma'am my ass...' she thought. Her whole body throbbed painfully. Her brain was all fuzzy. It took a long while to process what was happening around her. "Where am I going?"

"Central." came the reply.

She cracked one eye open only to shut it again against the overwhelming brightness. "Central? Central Amestris?"

"Yes, we are almost there now. It should only be another couple more minutes."

"Why am I going there?" she asked, her voice cracking from the dryness in her throat.

"Well…your town was destroyed Lady Nanami. We are bringing you to central for protection and questioning about the attack."

Her eyes snapped open, and she sat up hastily. The light burned her eyes but she no longer cared. She remembered what had happened. She looked down at her non-existent left leg for reassurance that it had not all been just a dream. It was quickly becoming hard for her to breath. It had all come back to her. Her breathing was hollow, coming out in uneven rasps.

A number of medical personnel were trying to push her back down on her stretcher bed but she swatted them all away easily. She was wide-awake now. "Tell me who else survived?" she demanded frantically once she had calmed slightly.

"Just lay back down miss."

"Yes you can't do anything."

"Please calm down."

Her eyes flashed dangerously. "No damn it! You better tell me who the survivors are now!!" she exclaimed. It would not have been a surprise if her voice had echoed not only within her privet medical compartment but without the entire train as well.

The medical squad who surrounded her froze in their tracks, apparently at loss for words.

One brave soul came through the group of medics. It seemed as though he was the leader. "I am sorry but we don't have the list of survivors yet miss, though I can tell you now that it was definitely less than a hundred, and most of them are in critical condition. The majority will not survive."

She inhaled sharply. Her breath was caught high in her throat, her eyes widening in absolute mortification. '…what have I done…?'

"Please go back to sleep." said one of the medics but the boss held up his hand to silence him.

"We will give you some privacy Miss Nanami for the small remainder of the voyage." he said evenly. He turned on his heel and the other medics followed in his wake.

When she heard the door to the compartment close, she sat up so that her leg and a half were dangling over the edge of the bed. She buried her head in her hands. It was too much to take in. What little had been left in her life was now gone. Her body wracked with silent but nonetheless violent sobs but she could not manage to squeeze out a tear. Not that it was to be expected, she had not cried in years. 'How did it come to this? What have I done to deserve this?' she thought. 'No, what did those citizens do to deserve this? I should have been able to protect them from the attack, and I would have had it not been for Shou Tucker. …is equivalency real?' She scoffed at the thought of it. 'Of course not. I haven't believed that for ages.'

In was only a few minutes later when the train stopped. Evidently, they were now in Central now. She forced herself to uphold a vacant expression of indifference upon her face. She already had a lot of practice at it so it came almost naturally to her. The medics returned to the compartment and carried her stretcher bed to an ambulance that was waiting just outside the station. Time flew by and she did not even take a second glace. Before she could blink, she was taken into the Central HQ and placed into her own personal medical recuperation room. She had not said a single word the entire time. She did not trust herself to speak for the time being.

"General Mustang will be with you shortly."

She nodded respectfully and slumped back in her bed when she heard the door close. 'Mustang…Mustang…who could this guy be?' she frowned. 'I don't like this. I do not know of anyone from Amestris. My own Amestrian mother strictly forbade speaking of anything to do with her former country while she was alive and even after her death we were reluctant to talk about it. The only Amestrian I have heard of by name like the rest of my fellow Xue-Kwin citizens was Edward Elric, the one Shou forced me to resurrect, but we only knew of him because of his reputation in the far east of Amestris that boarders the west of Xue-Kwin. Xue-Kwin does not have any relations with any other countries. We exist within ourselves, and that is the way it had always been. That is just the way we are.' She frowned. 'But ever since the civil war overflowed Amestris has been bent on helping the Western side of Xue-Kwin to uphold the supreme authority over the east. It has been hard for us. According to our teachings, we are not supposed to receive help from foreigners. It degrades us, damages our honor and most of all our pride.' Her frown deepened. 'Yet I have always been discriminated against for my appearance for most of my life almost as badly as my mother. I look exactly like her. I look full Amestrian, even though by Amestrian standards my appearance is still unique, long, rich, deep red hair and large cunning green eyes. Of course, that is only what I have been told over the years. I have not been in contact with a proper mirror in months. If I am to be honest with myself I must admit that it was hard having no resemblance whatsoever to my father in a country such as Xue-Kwin. But nevertheless my loyalty to my home country is unbending. Although I may not look it, I am Xue-Kwiness and that is the way it is going to stay. '

She leaned back, her hands behind her head and closed her eyes softly. She could still hear the annoying sound of the creaking fan but she did not have enough strength or motivation to do anything about it, so she waited. After all, that was all she could do.

A few minutes later, she was rudely awakened when someone barged into her room, completely unannounced. She sighed and opened her eyes. A man who was wearing what she assumed to be the typical Amestrian military uniform was just placing a stool down at the side of the head of the bed. He was eying her with unprovoked obsessive curiosity. It was innocent enough but it made her feel uneasy. It looked as though he were looking inside her into her very soul. She could tell that he knew something that she did not.

"I am General Mustang." he said smoothly.

She already knew this. She didn't reply and tried to keep her expression as vacant as she could.

He frowned at her. "I am not going to interrogate you about what exactly is going on in your country." His face hardened even more. "Well not yet at least."

She still didn't feel the need to acknowledge him.

He sighed and got up off the stool and paced to the rooms one window. She propped herself up on both of her arms to get a better angle on him. She could not read him when his back was turned towards her.

"I am not going to interrogate you about your loss of limb either because I can tell what happened just by looking at you." He couldn't hold back a smirk when he heard her sharp intake of breath. He turned back so he was facing her, and leaned on the windowsill offhandedly. He brushed back his attractive silky black hair. "I don't like using people."

She scoffed inwardly. 'I highly doubt that Mustang, no one could get to the position of General at your age without some serious kiss ass and, or blackmail.'

"But if I feel uneasy about a situation that should be reported." He smirked at her. "Well you know how word can get out. I am not sure what happens in your country but here human transmutation are a very serious offence."

Her face darkened. "What do you want from me?"

"Now that is something that I have to think about first isn't it?" he said lightly.

She scowled at him, her eyes narrowed. "Screw you! Tell me what it is damn it! Or I swear I will refuse!"

He scoffed and came back to sit in the chair in front of her. He leaned in towards her. "Listen to me." His voice was edgy. "You may have had hundreds, hell thousands of followers to your family name in Xue-Kwin, but not here in Amestris. Not anymore. You will be dead with the week should you speak like that to people of my rank. As of now, you are definitely in no position to refuse anything I offer. If you should do as I ask I am willing to overlook your past…transgressions and not report them to the military."

She glared at him but remained silent nonetheless.

He smirked. "Now that's better isn't it?" he said with a fake brightness. He eyed her dangerously, giving her a mock pinch on the cheek, but withdrew quickly. He knew this girls temperament, and as such, he knew that he might very well be playing with fire, so he did not dare push his luck any further.

"What do you want from me?" she repeated, returning the glare with even more intensity.

He looked down at her objectively. "I do think that I will tell you that later for there are more pressing issues."

"And what would they be?"

"I thought you'd never ask." He got up again and went to the other side of the bed placing a hand on what was left of her left leg. "You need to fix this. I don't think that anyone in the military other that myself would have guessed exactly how you came to loose it but we need to cover up theses gash marks. I doubt that anyone would know that this limb has been taken away in a method that is only possible when concerning human transmutation. Or in other words, 'The Gate,' but even so you can't do what I have in mind for you without a leg."

She turned up her nose. "Tell me how you knew it was human transmutation?"

He smirked. "I have my sources. Now tell me who did you try to bring back?"

"I won't be telling you that until I know what you want from me."

His face fell into one of annoyance. "Stubborn one aren't you?"

"I guess you could say that."

He shrugged indifferently. "I suppose that it doesn't really matter. All I really needed to know that there is a new homunculus running around."

She nodded grudgingly. "So who do you plan on hiring to do my automail?"

He brushed back his hair again. "I know the perfect person."

* * *

"What? You want me to come to Central?" she asked over the phone.

"Yes please Winry." pleaded Al. "General Mustang said that he wanted the best automailist maker in Amestris."

Her eyes lit up. "Well that would explain things. I mean if they wanted the best they couldn't really go anywhere else now could they?" she asked brightly.

Al sweat dropped. "Of course Winry. So will you come?"

She pursed her lips haughtily. "Hmm…I am not sure."

"Winry!" protested Al. "Come on!"

"Well you do know that I am in high demand here and I am not sure if I can bring myself to leave…" she said damply.

"Winry that is bull and you know it! Even if it was busy Pinako could handle it but I know as well as anyone that the only time you make a lot of money is in the summers when you go to Rush Valley."

Winry grumbled something unintelligible under her breath. "Oh shut it Al. So what kind of payments are we talking about?" she asked innocently enough.

Al sighed. "Gezz, I don't know. Something fair I suppose."

"Fair!" exclaimed Winry. "It is definitely not fair that the military is trying to pull me away from my quaint rural hometown to the huge dank city!"

Al couldn't resist rolling his eyes. "Give it a rest Winry…who do you think you're fooling?"

'I think I should really milk it for all it's worth.' she smirked. "Al…I think that the only way that I am going to be convinced to come on the long train ride down there is if I get an exact number Al."

"Winry, this is ridiculous."

"I don't think so. I think I should know exactly how much my work will be appreciated." she said lightly.

"You're unbelievable. Okay fine, one second, I'll ask the General."

She was smacking her lips already. 'I might just have a new killing costumer, I might even make as much as I did off Edward."

"Winry?" asked Al.

"Yes?"

"The General said that the military will give you twenty percent more than what brother used to pay."

Her eyes lit up. "Okay!! That is great! I'll see ya soon Al!!" she hung up the phone without even waiting for a reply. 'This is great!'

* * *

**Gluttony**** is not going to be the thing he turns into for the movie. He is his old self, with his mind back in place.**

**Xue-Kwin**** is my name for ****Xing**** from the manga incase anybody missed that. **

**I have a ****link**** to an ****overview**** of the ****Bluebirds Illusions game**** from my author's page. It shows what the all the characters including Pride!Ed look like. **

**I also have a ****link**** to the ****intro scene**** to the Bluebirds Illusions which shows the characters including Pride!Ed.**

**Thank you for reading,**

**much love,**

**temariXshikamaruluva**


	6. The Brewing of Things to Come

**Bluebirds Illusions – Pride, the deadliest sin **

**Chapter 6 – The Brewing of Things to Come **

"This wasn't chopped off in a normal way was it?" asked Winry hesitantly. She had just begun examining the tear line of Nanami's mangled leg. She was feeling the area where her left leg now ended a few inches above the knee.

Nanami's face tensed up. She squinted her eyes open against the rooms bright light that was needed for Winry examination of her leg. "What do you mean?" she asked sharply.

Winry frowned, looking up and down her as though trying to size her up. "Although I may not look it I have already done the automail for someone who had both his leg and arm taken away from a failed transmutation and this tear on your leg here is exactly the same."

"Oh…" she mumbled, a little put out. She had not been anticipating anyone, let alone a military personnel and an automailist knowing about her transmutation. 'At least they don't know that it was a former State Alchemist who I tried to bring back.' she thought. "Would you mind telling me who it was?" asked Nanami curiously. "The one who you did the automail for when their arm and leg were taken away?"

Winry's frown deepened and a crease formed on her forehead, making her age a few years. She continued to stare and the leg that she was to be fixing, though now she was not really seeing it at all. "I am not sure if I am allowed to tell you that." she said quietly.

"And why not?" Nanami sounded slightly affronted. "You know I committed human transmutation too so what is wrong with me wanting to know someone else who did."

Winry frowned at her with a look of controlled anger. "I have a feeling that if by either chance or sad miracle that I should meet another poor soul who was dumb enough to commit transmutation that you would not appreciate me telling them of your own l attempt at the taboo." she said with a heavy hint of testiness in her voice.

Nanami scowled at the girl. 'Damn it, I guess I have to weed it out of her…but how to do it...?' Her mind worked quickly, her natural cunningness was coming into great use. Her eyes lit up evilly after only a few seconds. 'I know what to do. I hope I am right in thinking this but if she did automail of another person who committed human transmutation wouldn't it be very likely that they would also be in the military? Definitely a State Alchemist for they'd have to be well versed in alchemy to commit the transmutation that lost them their limbs in the first place. And after all they called on her to do my automail and I am now under the militaries watch…lets find out if my theory is in fact correct. I hope this works.' She closed her eyes softly, just like she always when she didn't want whoever she was speaking to her to read her true intentions. "But don't you think it would be better if you reported it Winry? After all no one in the military, let alone a State Alchemist should get away with human transmutation without the knowledge of the military which they serve. Human transmutation is a very serious offence." she said smoothly. Her soft airy voice gave away nothing of her ulterior motive. 'Damn it I just said what Mustang told me almost word for word.' she had to suppress another scowl at the thought.

"How did you know he was in the military?!" exclaimed Winry.

She smirked inwardly. 'Jackpot, I was right.' She opened her eyes lightly. Nanami decided to completely ignore Winry in favor of seeing if automailist would unknowingly give away any more information that she wanted. "Well of course it would do nothing now that he is dead…" she said quietly, leaving the sentence hanging. 'Now no matter what her reaction is it will narrow down the options of who it could be.'

"Edward is not dead!!" exclaimed Winry. She had stood up so abruptly that her chair fell to the ground behind her without a second thought.

Nanami's eyes went wide in realization. She gaped at her with an undignified partially open mouth. 'Edward…Edward Elric? I doubt that there would be another State Alchemist named Edward…plus that would make sense. I mean; 'Edward Elric the Fullmetal Alchemist,' him having automail would fit perfectly. But that means she did the automail of the person who Shou made me resurrect. Also from her reaction I can tell that she was very fond of the Fullmetal Alchemist, maybe she was even his girlfriend. But nevertheless it wouldn't be recommended to tell her that her friend/lover was in fact brought back as a soulless being by Shou and I.' She paused in thought. 'But wait…the homunculus Ed has memories given to his by his brothers' metal body which means he will feel more than any other homunculus ever created. The homunculus will be volatile and if he and this girl, Winry were close then he might even be tempted to visit her.' she thought worriedly. Her eyes went even wider when the door behind Winry opened. A person who looked very similar to Edward Elric stood there. 'I wonder…'

But he spoke up before she could finish her thought. "What are you talking about brother for?" he asked quietly. He was looking down at the floor melancholically.

* * *

"What are you planning on doing with the daughter of the Tsumang dynasty?"

'So this is why he summoned me to his office. I should have thought as much.' Mustang narrowed his eyes at General Haruko. "I don't have to tell you that."

Haruko returned the narrowed eyes. "Don't act smart with me Mustang."

"Forgive me sir but it comes naturally."

He sent Mustang a look that would make most people tremble but the Brigadier General didn't even flinch. "You better watch that mouth of yours. We may both be trying for the position of the top rank in the military but and I don't want any corruption in the competition. The elected government is to select the next Fuhrer of the military in the next few weeks or months and I won't be pleased if you use any unethical tactics."

"Fuhrer? I thought they called it something else now." said Mustang lightly. "Correct me if I am wrong but I was not the one who blindly supported the former disgraced Fuhrer King Bradley. What would you call that if not corruption?"

"Don't test me Mustang."

"I would never dream of it sir." he replied smoothly.

"So please, do tell me what you want with this half-breed Xue-Kwin girl anyway. I would personally like to bring her into my custody after she fully recuperates from her injury…" he paused solely for the cruel effect. "But wait here Mustang, what again did you say this girls injury was from?" he asked raising an eyebrow with mock inquisitiveness.

"I already told you. It was from a chimera." he said his voice portraying his anger that was bubbling dangerously just before the surface. 'Half-breed? How dare he call her that just because she is half Xue-Kwin half Amestrian.'

"Chimera eh?" asked Haruko looking up from his spot at his desk. "I don't think that chimeras have ever been created in Xue-Kwin."

Mustang remained silent.

"Plus from the report I received from the medics that looked after her I am told that there were absolutely no other wounds on her body." He narrowed his eyes again at Mustang. "Strange…don't you think? Chimeras only taking her leg but leaving not even a scratch on the rest of her body…it doesn't seem to add up…does it Mustang?"

"Are you saying you think this girl is lying?" he asked trying to keep his voice level.

"That is exactly what I am saying. Of course I would never suspect you to relay information that you knew wasn't legitimate." said Haruko. His blatant implication was not missed.

"Would you like me to interrogate her sir?"

"No."

"No?"

"No, I would prefer to do an investigation into the situation myself Mustang. I have a feeling that I can find out what she is hiding. After I pry that out of her we must also find out exactly what the true reason for the Eastern Xue-Kwin rebellion against the West." he said clasping his hands together in front of himself.

"You know why the east is rebelling sir."

"I know what I am told but I would not put it past those of Xue-Kwin, hell I would expect those of that disgusting country to hide their reasons for the war. Their pride and arrogance as both a country and a race is beyond sinful." Haruko's eyes bore into Mustang for any kind of retribution. 'The chances are slim to nil but I always wondered if Mustang was somehow related to Xue-Kwin but hid his very distant ancestry.'

He gave away nothing. "I feel that I can find out what is going on by myself."

"Well I don't feel the same."

Mustang's distain for this man was quickly intensifying to a breaking point. "She is going to be under my supervision as long as she is under the militaries watch." He said unseen forcefulness. "I will not permit you to question her either. She is my responsibility, not yours. Nor will she ever be."

Haruko's face contorted into one of the utmost hatred. "I don't know what this girl is to you Mustang but when I become the Fuhrer I will make you regret the day you ever spoke against me. I will make a special effort to make this girl suffer for your stupidity."

Mustang's eyes darkened. "I hope that you will not repeat the sins that you committed in Lior General or the guilt of corruption will be once again upon your shoulders."

"I am afraid I miss the implication."

"I am saying that I will not loose the position of Field Marshal to someone who thought it right to allow the military to rape defenseless women to gain information on the Lior rebels."

Haruko's eyes flashed dangerously. "Why you…"

"Corruption…it is the most terrible when in a government yet it seems that the ones who vie for absolute power are the ones who are most likely to be consumed by it."

"You are not above it either Mustang; don't even try to defend yourself on your previous corrupted endeavors. The only reason you wanted Alphonse to become a State Alchemist was so that your own reputation would be boosted by him being your subordinate."

Mustang nodded. "That is one reason. But you are wrong about one thing; I do not do any of this for personal gain, not anymore. Now I do it all for the citizens of Amestris."

"And what do you think you are doing for them?" asked Haruko.

"I am not allowing them to be submitted to an unfit ruler of the military."

Haruko stood up abruptly. "Get out of here." he said forcefully. He pointed to the door on the wall directly across from him. "Get out of my office! I will not listen to you any longer!"

"It is not my fault that you won't listen to reason." said Mustang bowing as little as possible.

"I said get out!!" he exclaimed, his voice rising.

He didn't need to be told for the third time. He turned on his heel and headed out of the door. 'That was a close one, good thing he broke before I did.' he thought thankfully, though clearly still portraying contradicting radiations of being oppressed.

He closed the office door behind him with a sigh of relief.

"Why so tense sir?"

Mustang's eyes went wide, his whole body tensing up even more before slowly turning around. "Hawkeye." he said, his voice a little higher than usual.

Her eyes were glaring at him but softened slightly at his overwhelmingly stressed disposition. "What did General Haruko want?"

Mustang relaxed substantially. 'I think I owe her one. She is still going to kill me, just at a later date. I guess she can tell the seriousness of the situation. But next time I see her I won't be so lucky…oh she really is going to kill me after all isn't she…?' he thought. He gave her a look that told her he would talk to her when they were back in their office without any of the other subordinates.

She nodded fully understanding what he meant.

When they reached the office Riza forcefully ushered all the other subordinates out, thus giving her and the Brigadier General some well needed and deserved privacy.

Roy sat down at the desk closest to the door, as though if he tried to reach his own he might faint on the way. He looked terrible. He began to speak right when the door closed. "Riza, I-"

"It is Lieutenant sir." she said sharply.

He stiffed at her anger that was coming out in bits now. "I am sorry Lieutenant it is just…" he sighed, his eyes softening. "Thanks for not bringing up the preg-"

"Get to the point sir." she snapped. She came to stand a few paced back from the desk he was sitting at.

"Yes ma'am." he sighed again. "Well he is suspicious."

"What is Haruko suspicious of?" she asked, all seriousness was back and with a great effort her anger with this man was being held at bay.

"I didn't think that he would have caught it. I hope he didn't catch more than he let on, if so than we are all in trouble." He was rambling more to himself than speaking to her.

"What are you talking about?" she asked levelly.

"He knows that the chimeras didn't give the injury to the Xue-Kwin girl."

She nodded, not caring to ask how Haruko came to that conclusion. "I assume he suspects her untruthfulness on the matter and not yours sir."

"That was what he said but he…he looked as though he suspected me."

"Really, why is that?"

"Because I protected the girl. He asked for custody over her so he could investigate her and the entire situation, and I gave away too much, far too much."

"But what are your reasons for protecting her sir?" she asked quietly.

His eyes softened. 'I am sorry…but I can't…' He leaned back slightly in his chair. "She will be my link to Xue-Kwin, giving me information that only a citizen of that country could. But just before she came here she created a homunculus. If the military ever found out they would take her under their custody indefinitely."

"You are planning on using her aren't you?"

Roy nodded without hesitation.

"You keep her secret of the human transmutation and in return she becomes an Amestrian State Alchemist to do you bidding. Isn't that right Mustang?" she asked her anger rising in her voice again.

He nodded again. 'I am not really lying…all that I have said is true…' his closed his eyes softly. "But why does she need to become a State Alchemist?"

"Isn't it obvious? From how interested Haruko seems to be in her there is no absolutely no way in hell that she'd be allowed out of the militaries watch. The only way you can keep her under your eye without any competition is for her to become a State Alchemist under your jurisdiction." she said levelly. "But really sir, are you sure that you are not confusing her with someone else?" she asked quietly.

"What do you mean by that?"

"You know exactly what I mean Mustang. She is neither Edward nor Alphonse. You don't have to save her from the militaries wrath. She is a grown woman and can handle herself without you sticking your neck out for her." said Riza.

"She is sixteen, hardly old enough to be involved in issues like this. She will be quarantined and experimented on if they ever find out what she did." he said, his own anger finding its way out.

"I don't think you realize how much you are risking for this girl who you don't even know. If you are caught hiding this kind of information from the military you yourself will be taken in, questioned, trailed and undoubtedly be declared guilty." she snapped. "Are you willing to risk everything you have worked so hard for just so one girl who is from a dying family name won't get hurt?"

"Yes, because it makes me winning the position of Field Marshall that much more important so that she won't be allowed to fall into Haruko's hands."

"I hope you know what you are doing sir." she said not too confidently. 'I see what he intends to gain from her but still…it doesn't add up, something isn't right, there must be something more that he isn't telling me about.'

"Me too." he agreed quietly. "But I hope you know that I told you all this because I trust you. I trust you more that anyone else for that matter. I would never put this kind of information on anyone else's shoulders but yours for I don't know of anyone else who could handle it. I know now that if one of us falls both of us fall. ...you won't betray me will you?"

"How could you even think that?!" she exclaimed; a scowl forming on her face.

He smirked. "Well I thought that after I got you preg-" he stopped dead when he saw Hawkeye take out her gun.

"Not another word sir." she said in a deathly quiet voice pointing the gun at his face.

His smirk just grew. "Watch it Hawkeye. When I become Field Marshall I couldn't make it mandatory for all female personnel to wear tiny mini skirts."

'Oh no you didn't.'

'Shit she is really going to shoot me isn't she!?' he rolled out of the chair just in time. A loud blast echoed throughout the room. From his spot sitting haphazardly on the floor he gapped at the bullet mark that was implanted where he had been a few seconds before. "Riza-"

"It is Lieutenant damn it!"

"Oh shit." he mumbled weakly under her breath. "Come on, you don't want you son not to have a father!" he exclaimed waving his hands in front of himself frantically.

Riza froze but didn't lower the gun. "Son? How do you know it won't be a daughter?"

Mustang relaxed at knowing that he was safe for the time being. "You can't be serious. Me have a daughter?" he said scoffing slightly.

"Well, what is wrong with having a daughter?" she asked narrowing her eyes.

"Nothing, they are just not as strong as sons."

Riza let another shot fly before Roy could react. It skimmed the side of his head giving him an unflattering close shave. His seared silky black hairs fell to the ground.

"What was that again Roy?? It wasn't women aren't as strong as men was it?"

His face fell. 'Oh crap…what have a gotten myself into? …what is living together going to be like…?' he shuddered at the thought.

* * *

"What is your motive?"

He frowned at her. "You are a quick one aren't you?"

Nanami just narrowed her eyes at Roy Mustang.

"Well I first off Nanami I would recommend that you stop trying to get information from your automailist like you did yesterday. It was uncalled for and not appreciated by any of us. We have our own privacy and you have yours." he said sternly.

"I got all the information that I wanted from her thanks." she said offhandedly.

"Didn't I tell you to drop that attitude?" he asked raising an eyebrow in mock lecture.

"Yes…you said something along those lines, so what is your point?"

He sighed and sat down on a stool beside her bed. "I will protect your position but I must tell you that there are those who aren't as understanding of human transmutation as I am. If you want to free yourself from the militaries watch you have to work under me."

'I knew it…he was close to the Fullmetal, that is the only way that he would be so understanding of those who committed human transmutation.' She looked up and down his profile with a faint interest. "He was under your jurisdiction wasn't he?"

"Who?"

"The other taboo committer, Edward Elric."

"Yes he was, why?"

"Nothing, I just thought so because Alphonse is now staying at your house and is under your watch." she said quickly. 'Then that means there is a chance that the homunculus Ed might come after both the General and Al as well as Winry.' she thought. "Why don't you just get to the point and tell me what you want me to do."

"You must become an Amestrian State Alchemist who reports solely to me."

She looked down into her lap remaining silent for a few seconds. "I don't have a choice do I?"

"Not unless you want me to reveal-"

"That is not what I mean." she said cutting him off. "I know that you won't tell the military about what happened, and how I committed human transmutation. I remind you of the famous Fullmetal Alchemist, nostalgia and guilt will keep you from committing me. What I mean is that I won't be allowed by the Amestrian military as a whole to go back to Xue-Kwin any other way would I?"

His eyes widened in surprise. 'She is very smart…far too much so to feel comfortable with. She reads every situation too well. It is unnerving.' he thought. "Yes, the military doesn't believe the chimera story and in effect they're even more bent on interrogating you."

"I would have thought so; there are too many flaws in the story anyway. Okay then I want this girl Winry to redo my automail arm too so the design of both my arm and leg are the same, plus I have a feeling that my former automailist in Xue-Kwin is dead. I also need to be allowed out of bed so I can train my automail leg for the exam next month."

"How did you know about the State Alchemist Exam?"

"I asked Alphonse about it yesterday."

"Oh…"

She rolled her eyes lazily. "I may be a girl General, and I may be young but I tell you now, don't underestimate me. It will be your downfall if you lower your guard." she said levelly giving him a cocky smirk. "I have had a lot of time to realize what is going on."

"Threats already?"

"Oh no, for me that is not a threat, just a common conversation. Please feel relaxed. I owe you maybe not my life but I am in your definitely in your debt. Besides, a threat for me is killing someone."

"You must have driven your family insane girl."

"You have no idea."

"Al…Winry…"

"He is talking in his sleep." said Gluttony as he continued to suck on his fingers.

"Yes, it is not unbelievable considering that he has memories of them. I think it is about time that we wake Pride up. We need to drive him away; the plan must be set into motion, masters' orders."

"Can I eat him?"

"No you idiot." Sloth snapped. He maneuvered his way around the wide homunculus to Pride. "He is the key to the plans success you fool." He shook him roughly a few times before stepping back and waiting for him to wake. 'I wonder why his red tattoo markings have resided.'

The relative darkness of the room was welcome as his eyes fluttered open. "What am I doing here?" he asked massaging his throbbing head.

"He looks the same as when he did when he was sixteen." mumbled Sloth under his breath. 'I suppose that is understandable. The memories of the metal body were only until Al had been fifteen which means that Ed would have been sixteen.'

"Who are you?" he asked. His vision was going in and of focus.

"We are the homunculus." said Sloth.

He inhaled sharply. "Homunculi!" he exclaimed trying to stand up on his shaky legs. His head was pounding painfully. His memories were unclear. It was hard to remember his emotions but he remembered things that he couldn't explain, things that he liked and didn't like. He knew that homunculi had caused him pain in the past and because of that he had to kill them.

"Calm down boy, you are one of us now."

"One of…what are you talking about?" he asked, his eyes narrowed.

"You are one of us Pride."

"Pride…? What are you talking about?"

"You were brought back boy. You are not human anymore." said Sloth.

His eyes widened to an inhuman extent in shock and fear. "You…you are lying, of course I am human!"

Sloth smirked. "Can you use alchemy Pride?"

"Don't call me that!" he exclaimed swiping his hand in front of himself angrily. He clapped his hands together and nothing happened and again, still nothing happened. "You're lying to me. It is not true." he mumbled clapping his hands together for a third time, still no reaction. "Damn it isn't true. It can't be true."

"Get over yourself boy, you are one of us now."

His eyes flashed dangerously. "No I am not!" he clasped his hands together again, this time an electrical spark came bolting from his clasped hands to just above where Sloth's heart should have been, shocking him with an intensity that would kill any human.

"Alchemy?" asked Gluttony with wide eyes.

"No Gluttony, but something similar." he said quietly glaring at Pride. His artificial body healed itself back together quickly.

Pride was looking down at his hands with a look of absolute disbelief. '…what am I?'

"I suppose that is your homunculi's power boy, some sort of electrical current."

He was still staring at his hands with a fearful awe. "So just say that I am a…um a…homunculus…so then why do I remember…I remember things that feel so real. There are gaps but I feel the memories and they are clear."

"You can thank your brother for that."

"Al??" he asked with wide eyes. "It wasn't Al who brought me back…was it?" he asked quietly. He bit his lip to keep it from trembling. 'If it is it then it is all my fault, and he is probably dead.' He couldn't bare the thought.

"No it wasn't your brother."

"Then…who…I don't think Mustang would but…but it still doesn't explain why I remember so much."

Sloth snorted. "Don't give yourself too much credit. That boy Mustang you call him has never felt anything for anyone other than himself."

"Then who…?"

"It was one of the people who brought me back and a very old friend of yours."

"Tell me now damn it." he snapped.

"So you accept that you are a homunculus? The famous Edward Elric, hero of the people a homunculus?" he said offhandedly.

His eyes flashed again and clasped his hands together again on instinct. The electrical current came in a flash shocking Sloth with double the intensity that it had been before.

"What are you going to do now!?" he demanded. "Work with us Pride or go chase after your creators Shou Tucker and Nanami Tsumang?"

"Don't call me that!!" he exclaimed, the electrical currents were now flowing from almost every pore of his body. "I am going to find my brother!!" he exclaimed as he ran from the room with a newfound steadiness in his stride.

"You think he'll accept you Pride!?" called Sloth from behind, his skin was healing quickly again. A frown formed on his worried face when he knew that Pride was gone. 'I didn't know it was possible but he really does have some sort of alchemic powers. His electric currents were subconsciously changing my body's composition from the inside. I hope he never realizes his true power, and uses it to its full potential.'

* * *

**Pride!Ed's electric things look kind of look like Sasuke's (from Naruto) Chidori Nagashi that comes from his entire body.**

**much love,**

**temariXshikamaruluva**


	7. The World Beyond the Gate

**Bluebirds Illusions – Pride, the deadliest sin **

**Chapter 7 – The Parallel Universe…The World Beyond the Gate**

'_Those who want to live, let them fight, and those who do not want to fight in this world of eternal struggle do not deserve to live.'- Adolf Hitler_

_**Germany 1923 – Edward Elric and Nanami Tsumang's alter ego **_

"Damn…how many brothers do you have?"

"Well I had seven." she replied. She blushed slightly at being eyed so interestedly. She rarely got this kind of attention from any guy and it didn't hurt that he wasn't too hard on the eyes either. In fact he was quite attractive. 'Now that I think about it the reason that no guys ever talk to me is probably because I have so many intimidating brothers. They really do scare the crap out of every single guy on the planet. I am very impressed, no shocked that this one got passed them all and even managed to get me out to this café without so much as a scratch on him.'

"Really, seven?" he asked. "That's interesting..." he mumbled more to himself than anyone else.

"Ed…umm…please, what exactly are you talking about? What are you planning?"

"I am sorry but that is not something that I can't tell you."

She pouted. "Come on Ed. Then at least tell me why you wanted to meet with me? Ryo, Hitoshi, Yuudai and even Kiyoshi have been bugging me about it for ages."

"Well let's just say that there is something familiar about some of your family Nanami and leave it at that."

"Is that all? I thought it would definitely have something to do with my Japanese ancestry, or my work with uranium mining and the bombs."

"Japanese?" he asked abruptly. 'Of course the main reason I asked her out to this café was to talk to her about her job application and her work with uranium bombs. Her interesting family relations were just a very large and unexpected bonus. But what is going on? She doesn't look Japanese at all.'

"Yes, I thought you knew. My father is Japanese. My mother went there after she disgraced her German family. We were pushed out of Japan a few years back after the government realized the kind of work my father was doing on the uranium bombs and then we returned here to Germany."

"Oh okay…" his expression became hazy and unfocused as though he were gazing off into the distance to a place that only he could see. 'This isn't making any sense at all…'

"But Edward please call me Aminna."

"Aminna, why?" he asked raising an eyebrow.

"Well Mr. Hughes recommended that we changed our names. I mean it is not everyday that someone comes along with a Japanese name here in Germany, and all the looks I get when I say my name are really starting to piss me off." she said forcefully slammed her drink down on the café's table, splashing some of its contents on the table and floor. "Crap."

A well humored smirk formed on Ed's face. "I'll get it." he said almost laughing. He wiped it down with a napkin.

"Thanks." she mumbled quietly. She was a little embarrassed about it.

"Anyway, you were right, the main reason I wanted to speak with you was about the rocketry and bombs so are you planning on working with Alphonse and I building rockets?" he asked. 'I'd rather not confront her about the mass destruction caused by the uranium bombs yet. It would scare her off.'

"Definitely." she said enthusiastically, but then her face fell into a slight frown. "Not that I have a choice anyway."

"No choice, what are you talking about?" he asked.

"Well…after my mother disappeared and my father died of the plague my brothers' who have survived and I have been very pressed for money."

"Yea Al, Noah and I are too. But still you shouldn't do anything that you don't like."

She sighed sadly. "Luckily any type of science is what I love doing…and that's probably because it's all I know how to do anyway."

"What do you mean that it's all you know how to do?"

She leaned back in her chair with a soft thoughtful expression. "Well…I never went to school. I think it was because my father was ashamed by how I looked so much like my mother. My father and brothers taught me personally about all the different types of sciences, particularly focusing on uranium. Those types of sciences are kind of like a family trade. Most of us do of have worked with one of them. Although from my application you know that recently I have become well versed in rocketry as well thanks to my brother Ryo."

"I could see that."

"But um…what are you intending to do with underage workers?" she asked her face blushing pink again.

"Why?" he asked taking a sip of his drink.

"Well…um…I am sixteen."

He spit all of what had been in his mouth. "You're what?"

She winced bowing her now scarlet blushed face. She nodded. 'I normally like looking a lot older than I am but this is really making me feel awkward.'

"Are you sure?" he asked with wide eyes.

She bit her trembling lip. She was on the verge of being mortified.

He seemed just to notice her discomforted disposition. "Oh I am sorry girl." he apologized shaking his hands in front of himself defensively. He didn't know how to deal with girls who were acting like this.

Her face shot up angrily. "Girl?" she said sharply. Her mood had done a complete one-eighty. 'I hate it when people treat me like a kid.'

"Girl yea, well you are only sixteen."

"Yes and how old might you be Mr. Elric? At your half-pint height you definitely can't be any older than I am." she snapped.

He stood up abruptly, slamming his hands down on the table. "Who do you think you're calling a midget!!" he exclaimed shaking his fist at her.

She stared at him with wide eyes. He had just managed to gain the attention of the entire café. Only when she got a hold of herself did she smirk. 'Humm…I seem to have found a sensitive issue…perfect.' She eyed him lazily. "Now Edward, do you understand why I don't like people calling me girl or treating me like I am young and innocent?"

"No." he said rudely. He sat back into his chair sulking sourly and crossed his arms across his chest.

She brushed her striking red hair back offhandedly. "Well then I might just feel the need to refer you to as the pipsqueak while should we ever work together." she said smoothly.

He glared at her. "I am not a pipsqueak." he mumbled under his breath.

"So do we have a deal, you don't treat me like a sixteen year old and I won't treat you like the shorty that you are." she said brightly.

"I am not a shorty damn it!!" he exclaimed.

"And I am not sixteen." she sarcastically flipping her long hair.

"But you are sixteen."

"And you are most definitely are short but I am not going to mention it as long as you don't treat me like I am a kid."

He scowled but nodded nonetheless.

'Better get back on task here.' she sighed. "So underage workers are…?"

"Fine." he said sharply frowning at her. "Why don't any of your other brothers' want to work on rockets? I didn't get any applications other that yours." he said.

"Well I told you that there were seven. However now I only have four."

"Four? What happened to the other three?" it was out of his mouth before he knew it. 'Damn it. That was one of the dumbest things I have ever said. Imagine what I'd do if someone asked me how Al died.'

Unexpectedly her eyes softened slightly. "Well…my second oldest brother Eiji along with my fourth oldest brother Takeo both died from uranium poisoning not too long ago. I also have triplet older brothers who are nineteen years old. One of them, Yoshi died saving me when I fell through thin ice when I was eight."

"I am sorry."

She shrugged. "Don't be. Dying is inevitable. Everything that lives must die eventually. Time always takes its course no matter what. That is the way of the world works. There is no such thing as eternal life. I suppose dying really isn't all that bad." she said lightly.

He eyed her curiously. "I take it that you are not afraid of death."

"No I am not."

"Why?"

"Because I know that whatever happens now is just a test and it is not within our power to decide when it is our time to leave this earth. All we can do is do the best we can with the time that has been given to us. Life is where we are judged, and if the lord thinks that we are worthy we'll be allowed into some form of heaven in our afterlife." Her eyes softened even more. "What is there to be afraid of? After death we are reunited with those who we loved but lost during our lives." she said quietly.

His eyes narrowed at her. "Do you really believe in that kind of stuff?"

"Of course I do!" she exclaimed. Her loyalty to that type of religious thinking was clear.

He shrugged. "I just never really expected someone who is so into science at such a young age to have such strong religious beliefs. Most of us don't."

"Well most of us scientist are ignorant." she snapped glaring at him. "I thought you weren't going to make references to my age."

"How so?" he asked curiously completely ignoring her second statement. Luckily she didn't seem to notice.

She leaned back in her chair looking at the ceiling of the restaurant with a thoughtful and enlightened expression on her face. "Most of us scientists try to explain everything with formulas, equations, numbers, laws and logic. My mother was one of those people. She thought that science was the answer to everything. But let me ask you this Edward Elric…have you ever wanted to do something, create something with science but failed or couldn't because of some unknown wall, blockage or loophole? Something you could not obtain for some unknown reason. There are things in life that shouldn't be tampered with. There are powers at work here that are far greater than any of us and they are not to be trifled with or we will all feel the wrath of god." she said. The wisdom of her words was far beyond what should be allowed for someone of her years. It was not the religious aspect of it that made it so impressive but it was still comforting somehow, to know that there were still some who were not oblivious to the world outside their own.

His eyes widened in surprise. 'It is as though she knows that…as though she knows that I have tampered with the forbidden. But how could she, she is from this side of the gate.' he thought. He shook his head to rid himself of his thoughts. "I suppose that everyone has a right to their own personal beliefs." he said with forced indifference.

"I take it that you do not believe in god."

"Well I am not too sure to be honest. There is no proof for it, but then again there is no proof against it." He sighed. "I used to think just like your mother. I learned the hard way, through experience that science can't solve everything." he said quietly. "While I can't say truthfully that I believe in a god, but I cannot ignore the fact that there is something more out there. Something we cannot explain."

She smiled brightly. "One scientist down, many thousand left to go."

He smiled lightly. "I just hope that they aren't as stupid as I was."

"I have a feeling that you won't tell me what you did to make you believe in something beyond science."

"You're right."

She looked down in defeat. "I understand. You seem like someone who likes their privacy."

"Right again. But tell me, you seem to be very religious, so what is your religion?" he asked.

'Wow he is actually asking me questions on it?' She smiled softly. "I don't have just one religion. I try and learn as much as I can about all of them. I do my best not to get caught up in them though, like some fanatics who bring religion into war. Religion is meant to bring peace, not pain."

He nodded, urging her to continue.

"Naturally I was raised as a Buddhist living in Japan but since then I have taken the liberty of becoming others as well. Christianity was my second religion; I took a particular fascination in both Catholicism and Protestant Methodist, it was followed closely by Islam. Afterward many more followed such as Shinto, Hindu, Sikh, Judaism and even Baha'i which is a new religion that is a combination of all the worlds' major religions. I am fascinated by each any everyone on of them all, how they are similar and different at the same time."

"How can you be loyal to all of them?" he asked.

"It's not that hard really. All religions are of the same in essence; be a good person, honor either one or more gods or prophets and you will be rewarded in some form of afterlife. When I become enwrapped in a religion I don't go into the specifics and differences with the other ones because I don't want to get too obsessive. For some people its fine to be devout to one sole religion but to others it corrupts them."

He was staring at her with wide eyes. He looked like a child who was being told a very interesting bedtime story. "…isn't it tiring?"

She laughed lightly. "No…not really. I just take the finding principles and leave it at that, plus it is all very interesting."

"I expect it would be."

She frowned at him and took in his tensed profile. "I hope you realize that I am not the type of person to push my beliefs on anyone else." she said seriously.

He looked mildly relieved. 'Good, I wasn't look forward to her bugging me about it when she starts work at the factory…I still haven't told her that she got the job…guess I'll tell her later.' He nodded but said nothing.

She took this as a signal to continue. "In my opinion everyone has to find their own path. I respect people for who they are not their religion even if they have any at all. I know good people who are atheist and I know terrible people who are devoutly religious. It is not our beliefs that show what and who we truly are, it is our choices." She was beginning to run out of breath.

He continued to look at him with a look of the utmost fascination. "Go on, I know that you haven't finished yet."

She smiled at him. "Okay, if you want me to. For me I become fond of people for who they are, not race, age, intelligence and definitely not religion. Plus it is not within my power to judge others. That is the lords' work."

His face softened. "This is interesting but we should get back on track…it is six already."

"Six!" she said breathlessly. "I need to go. Ryo is going to kill me!"

"Calm down." he said. He looked slightly amused. "It is fine. Trust me I am sure that your brothers' will be fine with it."

"But…"

He leaned forward so that his elbows were on the table. "Trust me Nanami. I know them better that you could ever imagine. Plus I am sure that they won't too upset when you tell them that you have gotten such a well paying job."

"Call me Ammina damn it, wait-what? You mean you are hiring me?" she asked with wide eyes.

He nodded.

"Yes!!" she exclaimed, shoving her fist in the air. "Thank you so much!!"

"It is nothing really." he was a little awkward by her reaction.

"No really Ed…thanks. This will mean so much to my brothers."

He frowned. "And what about you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Never mind. Tell me about your brothers, why aren't they interested by working with Al and I?"

She clasped her hands together in front of her on the table. "Well I guess that it's because that the only ones who are skilled enough to work at yours and Alphonse's level in rocketry would be me and my oldest brother Ryo. I hope you understand how advanced the type of science you're doing is. Even for a genius physicist such as myself there are things that can even stump me."

"Not the most modest of people are you?" he asked smirking slightly.

"I guess not but it is kind of hard to be when you know that you are a genius."

His eyes softened slightly. He was gazing at her with an unprovoked pitying smile.

"What is it? Did I do something." she asked raising an eyebrow at his expression.

"Oh it's nothing really." he lied. 'She sounds kind of like me when I was younger.' He shook his head slightly to rid himself of his memories. "So why doesn't your brother Ryo help out?"

"He refused to send an application." she said darkly.

"Why?"

"Well he seems to have been hit the hardest when Takeo and Eiji died working with this kind of stuff. I guess it scared him. He hasn't touched it since."

"That's not good…"

"I know it is isn't it?" she asked taking a a large gulp that drained the rest of her glass. "He was almost as good as me."

Ed couldn't help but smile again. 'What a brat. She has far too much **Pride**' he thought. 'But then again I do too.'

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed my ****religious talk****. I hope I didn't offend anyone, if I have somehow then you'll have to accept my apology. I personally find different religions fascinating. I detest those ignorant people who discriminate against those of other religions and races, whatever they might be. We are who we are, by our friends, family, soul, and any purity, kindness, cruelty and unfairness we have been subjected to during out lifetimes, not by our colour, and religion. It is true however that for some people religion and culture are both a major part of their life and who they are but it is because they want to be faithful to what they've learned, which is great, to hold to your accentors and family heritage. But those who use religion as a cause for war for this day and age are fooling only themselves of the cause. That is my opinion anyway. We are born into race and religion, we normally don't have a choice, and rarely choose to change what we were born into during our lifetime, and therefore it does not define who we are. As for forming ourselves as unique individuals what truly makes us who we are is our decisions in life and how we learn from them.**

**I have been affected greatly by deceased my g-grandfather who was a minister and a family bloodline tie to Albert Schweitzer whom you would not have heard of unless you are extremely informed. They were both great men who were giving, accepting people no matter who they were, or what their status was. **

**The religious talk has a very large significance in three or four chapters from now.**

**much love,**

**temariXshikamaruluva**


	8. Fated to Become a Homunculus

**Bluebirds Illusions – Pride, the deadliest sin**

**Chapter 8 – Fated to Become a Homunculus **

'_Sometimes I wonder... will God ever forgive us for what we've done to each other? Then I look around and I realize... God left this place a long time ago.' -BD_

"Are you ready?"

"No." she said sulkily. If she had been in possession of both of her arms she would have crossed them over her chest. Her automail arm had been taken off to be replaced by a new one that Winry was to be making for her along with her leg.

The automailist shrugged lightly. "Okay, well it doesn't really matter whether your ready or not I am going to be installing the new automail arm and leg both now so you better get over yourself." She scoffed rudely. "As it is you wouldn't be able to compete in the exams anyway." Her eyes darkened on Nanami. Winry had been particularly confrontational with the cunning Xue-Kwin girl ever since she had managed to deviously weed out information of the other taboo committer…Edward. It made her feel foolish that she was outsmarted by the sixteen year old brat, it hurt her pride. She roughly grabbed Nanami's good arm and began measuring it, just to double check that it was of equal length to the automail one she'd soon be installing. "Hell I bet you won't be able to compete in the exams even if I do the automail perfectly. No one can recover from automail surgery in less than two months. Who do you think you're kidding? I mean really the fastest person my aunt and I have ever seen to recover was Edward and he took almost five months." She instantly knew that what she said was a mistake. She wanted to put her foot in her mouth. 'What am I mentioning Ed for?? Gezzz…this girl is going to be getting the wrong impression. Wait who cares what she thinks? This girl is a brat!! So yea, who cares what she thinks!?' she thought furiously. She roughly scribbled down the length of Nanami's arm on a sheet of paper on a side table and continued measuring the different areas though still not feeling the need to be too gentle.

She watched Winry work with a look of mild amusement. "I hope that you don't continue comparing me to the Fullmetal. I'd never have though that he and I would have this much in common." she said eyeing Winry interestedly for her reaction.

"You and Ed are nothing alike." she said sharply. She glared darkly at nothing in particular. She wouldn't look that girl in the face.

"Really…I didn't get that vibe when you keep on mentioning him to me."

"You and Ed are complete opposites."

"Whatever lets you sleep at night." she said indifferently. Nanami of course had no idea what kind of person Edward had been, and was only making these kinds of antagonistic comments for pure personal retribution of how Winry had been treating her lately…and of course a bit for her own cruel enjoyment.

"You don't know who he is...you don't know him at all but I can tell you that he is far and beyond the person you will ever be." she said quietly.

She smirked slightly. "Why do you talk about him as though he is still alive?" she asked closing her eyes softly. She tried her best to contain herself but she could read what Winry's every reaction was going to be long before Winry even knew herself. To Nanami Winry was just like a book, a children's novel really, it really was just too damn predictable.

"Because he is." she snapped, slamming her hands down on the side table with an echoing thump.

"That is not what I heard."

Winry lowered her gaze and remained silent…she knew exactly where this was heading.

"I am sure that you know what I am talking about. Rumor has it that Edward Elric's tombstone will be added to the military cemetery. Or am I wrong?" she asked.

Her face fell. "It already has been…the official ceremony is supposed to be held within the week." said Winry quietly.

She cracked one eye open and took in Winry's depressed disposition. 'Did I take it too far?' she thought. She scoffed almost instantly. 'Definitely not, I know that I can still get a bit more out of this.' she smirked devilishly. "You believe he is still alive? Why is that?"

"I don't know why…I'd just know it if he was dead."

"No." said Nanami instantly. "You wouldn't." in that moment she realized where Winry got the idea of Edwards survival, and Nanami knew from experience with her brothers that she was right in her thinking.

"And how would you know?" she asked, her voice rising slightly.

"It would be Al who would know, not you." she said. She was certain now… 'Yes…it is definitely from Al where she got the idea of Ed's survival. Not from her own intuition.'

Winry's expression softened sadly. "Are you psychic or just really perceptive?" she asked quietly.

She rolled her eyes. "I assure you I am not psychic. I had to be perceptive all my life to survive. It was not a birthright for me though. It didn't come naturally at all. I had to work at it because my life was dependent on it. I had seven brothers when I was younger, now however I probably only have two, and possibly three. The other ones died because they were either very unlucky or just not perceptive."

"I am sorry."

"Life goes on for the living doesn't it? Not for the dead…don't dwell on things that are lost." she said lightly.

"Ed is not dead, Al believes it…and so do I."

She scoffed. "Do you really believe in the religious bullshit? Sensing someone when they cross into the afterlife? Really Winry, I mean that might be a slight comfort if there even was an afterlife and if there was do you honestly think that it is possible for someone who committed human transmutation to be allowed into any form of heaven? Human transmutation is basically a way of sentencing yourself to a life and death of hell. A taboo is no light offence, you carry it for eternity, and there is no way around it."

Winry glared at her. "Well I never really thought of it as religious but I guess it might be. Taboo, human transmutation, really, what does it all mean? I never thought that my way of thinking was religious in any way but if you put something like sensing a soul passing to an afterlife into that category than perhaps I am. Al believes that he'd sense if Ed's soul left if it left for the next world, and if it's good enough for him that it is good enough for me."

She glared right back at Winry with a pained expression. "Did you listen to nothing that I just said? Why do you believe in that crap? Everyone knows that when you're dead you're dead. There is no afterlife or god…I mean come on, if there really is a god don't you think we'd have seen him by now?" she whipped. It was clear that her implication was not about seeing the lord visually, but rather seeing his presents. "Look at the world? How many are born into wealth and happiness without ever having to work or suffer a day in their life? How many innocent are born into a life of war and strife? How many suffer without anything to show for it? There is no balance imposed by a god, no equality at all. Children are killed everyday in my country without ever committing a sin, yet people like me survive. War is not something a god would allow so why is it all around us?!" she exclaimed. She was breathing a little heavy, her cheeks flushed from anger. Had she not been missing both her left arm and leg she would have been sorely tempted to hit something, and Winry was looking like an ample target. This was a subject that hit her hard, and she hated talking about it. "I learned a long time ago that if there ever was a god that he forsook this place a long time ago."

Winry fell silent. 'I don't know what to say…this is getting out of hand.' She sighed. "I have no intention or motivation to debate with you over this…everyone can think for themselves and come to their own…conclusions about this kind of thing."

She subsided substantially. Her form slumped with hunched shoulders, her long below should length bangs were covering her eyes. She nodded with her head bowed but said nothing. She knew that in her outburst she had given away far too much.

"But I want to ask you one thing." Nanami made no move to say anything so Winry continued. "If you think this world is so awful they why do you continue to work so hard just to survive?"

"Because…the alternative is death."

"Death? But you think this world is terrible, so why live?"

"Because now I am alive…if I die I am dead. No afterlife, nothing…I would cease to exist and even if there was an afterlife there would definitely not be any room for me in heaven. I have done too many horrible things."

"So you are afraid of death?" asked Winry.

She didn't reply but she didn't need to, Winry already knew the answer, Nanami's petrified expression just solidified it.

* * *

"Shou Tucker escaping the military, Al coming to Central to become an alchemist, Al's old metal body going missing the same time as Tucker's disappearance…" he mumbled to himself. Roy Mustang was sitting at his desk, alone in his office, his head leaning on his hand which was being propped up by his arm that was on the desk. "There is a link…but what is it?" He sighed. "There is something more…what did Tucker want with the metal body. The only thing the body even had was Al's…" he stopped suddenly. He thought he heard something from the outside window at his back but with a glance behind him he knew that he had just imagined it. "Memories…Al's memoires…that was all the metal body had…" he mumbled quietly voice. "We would never risk transmuting them into Al's body for fear of killing either him or the one who preformed the transmutation. But what would Shou want with the memories?? He must have had a reason." He fell silent. He had just become aware of something that was not sitting well with him and it was right outside his office door. Roy leaned back in his desk seat and closed his eyes. "Tringham!!" he called.

The door to the office opened instantly "Yes!" exclaimed Russell as he took an instinctive step into the office door. His eyes went wide at realizing that Roy had just caught him eavesdropping. He fought down the redness that was threatening to come through his cheeks.

"Eavesdropping now…and I wasn't even well done…"

"Sorry sir." he apologized stiffly.

"No you're not." said Roy lightly. "Umm…Nature Alchemist is it?" he asked raising an eyebrow.

"Damn right it is."

"Language Tringham…"

Russell 'humphed' and turned his nose up in defiance.

"Anyway, it seems as though your timing is perfect."

"What do you want?" he asked with a disheartened expression.

"Don't look so upset Tringham. You and him go way back I hear."

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

He clasped his hands together one his desk and looked at Russell with a sarcastic smirk. "I would like you to get Alphonse Elric and bring him to my office."

"Al? The shorty's younger brother?" he asked with wide eyes. He paused, thinking that he heard something but shrugged it off immediately. 'Probably just the wind.'

"The one and only."

"What is he doing here?" asked Russell.

"I am about to find out for myself; now go get him. This morning I sent him to the dorms on the third floor room three hundred and nineteen."

"Okay." he said and turned on his heel.

"And Tringham…you are to address me as General."

He scowled. "Only if you call me Major."

"Don't test someone who is of higher rank that you, didn't you learn that? Now get out of here." He said shooing him away.

Russell Tringham left without another word leaving Mustang to ponder in solitude the entire situation. He got nowhere. He kept on glancing over his shoulder to see if he was being watched. Something was making him feel uneasy and he wanted to find out what it was. Something was definitely not right. It was only ten minutes before Russell returned with Al but to Roy it felt like eternity.

"What is it General?" asked Al, he had an apprehensive look on his face.

It was clear that the Nature Alchemist was listening attentively.

"Tringham." said Mustang.

He scowled. "It is Major." he bit back.

Roy pointedly decided to ignore him. "Thanks Tringham, now get out of my office." he said smoothly giving him what would be a kind smile, but it only succeed in annoying the young state alchemist even more.

He mumbled something unintelligible under his breath. It sounded distinctly like 'bastard good for nothing general,' but that of course is just speculation. He left the room, closing the door roughly behind him.

Al looked a little awkward, not too sure what to do with himself.

"Sit down." said Roy motioning to a chair that was just off to the side and opposite to his desk.

He tensely sat down trying to withhold the urge to bite his lip.

"Al you have to answer me honestly or else there is going to be serious consequences."

His eyes widened. 'What the…did I do something wrong?'

"Do you remember someone who was called the Sewing Life Alchemist, or Shou Tucker?" he asked.

"Who?"

Roy frowned. He knew that Al wasn't lying but he wasn't done with it yet. "There wouldn't have been someone strange around when you were coming to central or even while you've been here, was there?"

"No…" he paused in thought.

Roy sighed; maybe it really was a dead end.

"Wait…there was someone."

"Who?"

"I don't know his name."

"What did he look like?"

"I don't know he had his face covered." He was growing very nervous over how aggressively the General was throwing the questions at him.

Roy lowered his gaze. "So it was him…." he mumbled to himself. "Tell me Al, how tall was he?" he asked just for confirmation.

"Tall…very tall…almost 7'0'.

His frown deepened. 'This isn't good, Shou did seek Al out…but why?' He thought. "Did he…seem to have quick reflexes?"

His eyes widened again. "Yes he did…it didn't seem normal…it was almost inhuman."

"That would be because he is not a human." said Roy darkly.

"Not human what are you talking about?"

"He was a chimera…I trust you know what that is?"

He tensed up. "A chimera…but how??"

Roy looked over Al objectively. "It must be frustrating, not being able to remember such important parts of your life." He said quietly.

Al nodded with a bowed head.

"The house of Shou Tucker was where you and your brother stayed while you were practicing for the State Alchemy Exams. During that time Shou did some…bad things, things that troubled you and your brother both…especially Fullmetal."

"What did he do?"

"In short, it ended in the death of his four year old daughter. Ever since then he had been obsessed with bringing his daughter back to life." He froze suddenly, his mouth hung limp. "Bring her back to life…human transmutation….Nanami…oh crap, what the hell is going on here." He mumbled. The colour had been drained completely from his face, and his eyes went wide.

"What is it?"

He got up suddenly. "Tell me. Did he say anything strange to you?" he asked coming around from his desk coming right in font of Al.

"Well yea, I didn't understand anything he said."

"What did he say?" asked Roy sharply bending over slightly so that he was almost level with Al.

He could feel the beads of sweat coming from his forehead now. He didn't understand was what going on at all, and it was driving him crazy. "Something about how I knew him when I was in the metal body. He said something else about the equivalent exchange and how he was going to do me a favor. He wanted the philosophers' stone. He said that the only way he could do it was through brother."

Roy stood up and turned around sharply. He paced erratically to his desk before turning back to face Al before returning on his way to the desk all the while shaking his head violently. "Damn it." He mumbled. He rammed his hand down on his desk with all of his force. The sound was almost deafening.

Al was frozen in shock and fear. "W-what is it?"

"I know who Nanami tried to bring back with her human transmutation…that fucking idiot who the hell does she think she is? At least now I know why Shou needed the metal body." He was talking more to himself than Al.

"I don't understand? Who did Nanami bring back?"

It was on the tip of his tongue before he realized who he was talking to. His face softened slightly. "I'll tell you later." He strode evenly towards the office door.

"Wait what do you want me to do?"

"Uh…just stay here until I get back. I need to…just stay here."

Al nodded and with that Roy left leaving him alone.

All the while to Nanami's room Roy could hear his quickened heartbeat in his ears. "Damn it…what the hell did she think she was doing? Bringing Edward back to life, what was her motive anyway? I'd have expected that she'd know better than to do something so foolish…especially after I heard of her first failed transmutation of…" he gritted his teeth together at the memory of it all. 'I wish that I could have prevented it…I should have been able to damn it. But still that bitch had the gal to hide it, knowing all that she has found out about Fullmetal within the past few days.' He reached Nanami's room fairly quickly, but that was thanks to his fierce pace.

Just when he reached the door he heard an absolutely blood curdling scream that made the hair on the back of his neck stand up. He wrenched the door opened, and he was relieved. He had been expecting worse.

Winry was on the final steps of her automail. She turned around to see who had entered. "Get out of here can't you see we are busy." She whipped before turning attention back to a panting and sweat streaked faced Nanami.

"No I have to talk to her now." He said glaring at Nanami darkly.

She was in too much pain to notice his hostility. She bit down on her lip to stop from crying out again.

"You can wait." snapped Winry without turning from her work. "You have no respect for how much pain a person goes through when experiencing automail surgery." Her face was concentrated on the task at hand. 'Well that is not even mentioning that she is deathly allergic to the antibiotics so I can't even give her anything to dull the pain. I can't believe that she only cried out that once, along with many whimpers and shudders. She is just like…' she sighed. 'Yes…just like Edward…she won't show her pain.'

"I need to talk to her now."

Winry turned quickly but the look on Mustang's face made her hold her tongue for once. He wasn't even looking at her, instead he was glaring at Nanami with a fierceness that she had only seen on his face once before.

"Give me two minutes. I have to finish it now."

He nodded wordlessly and leaned on the door frame of the room. He did all he could to shut out all the painful outbursts Nanami was exclaimed and instead focusing on how angry he was.

"Done." said Winry wiping her own sweat of her forehead. "You shouldn't even move for at least a week but I know you won't listen." she said looking down at the absolutely exhausted girl. "But I have to say that you stay in bed for at least two days before you even try to get up. You used to have an automail arm so this new one won't take two long to get used to, the leg is another matter entirely. Automail legs on average take at least three months before a person can ever stand, and a month or two after that until they can walk at a snails pace, with a large amount of pain. Normally they gain full capabilities of the leg in less than two years. I know that you have the State Alchemy Exam that you are working for so I will give you some exercises to help you recover faster." She said professionally. She took her surgical apron off and her medical gloves.

Nanami merely grunted a feeble response.

Winry smiled lightly. 'At least she is still conscious…I am impressed.' She turned to face the sour faced General. "Please don't push her. She has gone through a lot."

He nodded but somehow Winry wasn't convinced but she left steeling a worried glace back at the young Xue-Kwin girl. 'I don't even know why I am worrying about her for.' She left the room without a second thought.

Roy's eyes flashed angrily when she heard the door of the room close after Winry. "Don't even think of passing out yet." He said harshly.

She moaned lightly and cracked her eyes open, with her head still limp on the pillow. "What do you want?" she mumbled.

He sat down on a stool beside her. "I know who you tried to bring back."

She inhaled sharply, her eyes snapping so that they were now fully open.

"Now that I have gotten you attention, mind telling me why the hell you brought Fullmetal back?" he demanded.

She propped herself up on her right arm, wincing all the while. "How did you find out?"

His frown deepened. "Not that I have to tell you but it's from Shou Tucker. He used to be an Amestrian State Alchemist. He was fanatically obsessed with bringing his daughter back to life. He escaped the militaries watch not to long ago, taking Al's old metal body with him. Then I see you brought here, leg gone from your human transmutation. And just now Al just told me how Shou sought him out when he was travelling here for the exams. Al also told me how Shou said that he wanted the philosophers' stone and the only way he could do it was through Edward. Al had no clue what Shou was talking about. He has no idea that his brother is a homunculus. But you what the hell were you doing helping him!!" he exclaimed.

She smirked feebly. "Do you honestly that I committed a human transmutation out of my own free will?" she said quietly.

"What? What are you talking about?"

"Shou forced me to help him."

He glared at her. "How the hell could he force you? You have nothing left that he could have used against you."

She chocked on her laugh. "That is harsh really General. But you see that I was intrusted with the protection of the city that I was in. Shou captured me, and threatened that if I didn't do as he wished that he would release his hundred chimeras upon my defenseless city. I had no choice."

"Oh…but it happened anyway, the city was destroyed by the eastern rebellion, and chimeras were in on it."

"I know. She said darkly. It seems as though he was acting upon the influence of another, I thought the homunculi who are controlling the eastern rebellion."

"Yes this was probably your homunculi fathers plan anyway." he said darkly.

"Yea probably-" but she froze dead. "General…how do you know that my father was brought back using human transmutation?"

* * *

He bit his lip. 'So it is true…I am a…homunculus…' thought Pride.

He didn't know how to feel, or what to feel for that matter. Vengeful, bitter, and angry was all that he could think of. He had watched Roy through his office window as he spoke to both Russell Tringham and his brother and just now he had seen Winry, Nanami and Roy through the window of the Xue-Kwin girls' room. He had heard everything, about how Shou and Nanami created him, and how the memories of Al's metal body were given to him.

'But still…wouldn't they understand? I remember…I have a soul…I think. I can feel…I am not like the rest of them. I am not like the other homunculi.' he looked down shamefully at his left shoulder where his ouroboros tattoo was carved, the other tattoo that he had branded over his body only showed itself when he used his…electrical ability. 'I took all the time getting here, it would all me a waste if I didn't at least meet up with brother…well Winry too.'

* * *

**I have a C2 community dedicate to Bluebirds Illusions fics. Should anyone know of any good ones I would definitely take a look at them. **

**much love,**

**temariXshikamaruluva**


	9. Reunion of the Pegleg

**Bluebirds Illusions – Pride, the deadliest sin**

**Chapter 9 – Reunion of the Pegleg**

_The past is out of our hands, and we must learn to coincide with it otherwise or we shall never gain anything of merit nor value. – M _

'Pain is not something that is easily understood. It can teach us unsought for wisdom in time but in overwhelming doses can corrupt even the most pure. It is something so heart wrenching and excruciating that sometimes we never understand the meaning, and resentfully become consumed by it. Pain can change everyone and everything into something foul and bitter, and it can transform even the most innocent into hallow emotionless shells. To scapegoat all of our problems and shortcomings is an unfortunate contagious habitual tendency. It is from these deep and mind boggling thoughts that we must ask the question. Are we inherently good or bad?

I would like to perceive the world as a glace half full and say that we humans are inherently good but my experience has told me a very different tale.

Just look. Just take a second…and take even a quick glance at the world around us and wonder…how could we possibly do this to each other? Is it the original sin that created all this strife? I solely and devoutly believe that children are inherently good. At birth they know nothing of our races endeavors but no matter what you can never stop the tides of time and children in effect, no matter what will eventually grow up and become what they are taught by those around them, the good, bad, and the biased. In short the children from one generation will teach the children of the next generation the distorted and corrupt views of society. It is a relentlessly unforgiving and vicious cycle.

…and I must admit that no matter how I debate it…a circle has no end…

But then I wonder…if that is true...then how did it ever start?'

She softly closed her diary for what she thought might be the last time. Her eyes were swimming with melancholic tears. Her eyes were always moist ever since she was born, it came naturally to her and it made her look very innocent though slightly depressed for the entirety of her life. But now…it was almost a habit...she had let so many tears fall in the last while…too many in fact, far too many. But she would shed them no more. She refused to continue to sulk any longer. She sighed lightly from her position lying limply on her luxurious bed that was covered with first-class silk linen sheets which encompassed her small frail body and a large heavy blanket over everything as to shield her from the icy cold weather that was creeping ever closer. She was in the east of Xue-Kwin where the majority of the rebellion was being and had been plotted. Her guilt of being so closely related to those who were the primary cause of such agony and so much needless pain was almost too much for her to bear and thus far she had been far too much of a coward to fight back for fear of her own life, but she had just hit a breaking point.

Her…I guess you'd call him her brother in-law was the head of the eastern Xue-Kwin rebellion, or at least that is what the civilians thought. She knew he was only an ignorant figurehead with a broken mind and an unquenchable thirst for absolute power. Even at the naïve age of thirteen she was no longer able to continue in her blissful ignorance of the devilish world around her.

She got up from normally soft and inviting bed. She was growing restless with every passing day, and her cushy bunk was giving her neither the comfort nor the usual feeling of being secure. She knew general gist's of what 'they' ('they' aka - the eastern rebellion) were planning but she still felt as though she were in the dark. Her brother in-law regardless of being so prominent in society was very secretive, which came from not being Xue-Kwiness. You could tell he wasn't just by looking at him. 'I have never been told he isn't Xue but that is probably to keep up appearances. He has too much support to have his ancestry held against him. Right from the moment he came into the public eye he gave us of the history rich but nonetheless poor east Xue-Kwin hope that no one else has in recorded history. He quickly gained a large following thanks to his aggressive and convincing speeches of how they would conquer the western world and reclaim their ancient glory that the other side of Xue-Kwin had taken shamelessly away. It is frightening really how I know good people follow someone whose views are so corrupt. I know he is up to something, he is not right somehow. He is not a half-breed like my sister and I but rather purely from Drachma, that country of bloodthirsty cannibal-like humans but from what I have heard he was far and beyond what was accepted even in that forsaken and lawless country. Rumor has it that he was a betrayer of their customs. I have never been there so I don't know what they are, but I do know that he had learned alchemy, and was soon after banished his home country.' she thought placing her hands on the sill of the large window of her exuberant bamboo consumed bedroom.

She was not discriminated against too often for she mostly looked the part of a Xue-Kwin citizen; what with her fair olive skin, dark black hair and sharp eyes of the same colour. There were only faint glimmers of her Drachmann relation which luckily were rarely brought into light such as how her hair was far more thick than what was normal and was also evenly tinted a dark blue raven like hue. Her sister looked mostly Xue-Kwin as well though bore a slightly more heavily resemblance to their Drachmann mother. It was mostly their names which gave away their outside relation. She bit down subconsciously on her slightly trembling lip. 'Why would they name me Arabella and sister Greta in a place where they knew we would be hated should our bloodline be discovered?' she thought. She thought vaguely of how her mother had dealt with racism but wondered even more why she would even have came to Xue-Kwin in the first place. Her mother died giving birth to her so she was never given the chance to ask her for herself and her older sister Greta even forbade her from speaking of their mother. She sighed mournfully and gazed out into the starry night in attempt to relax but the loud low booming rumble of thunder and lightening that marred the otherwise beautiful night was like an alarm bell that rang relentlessly in her deafly swollen ears. It was a warning to her, a warning for her to act and do something of value if she could. It was reaching the end now, she knew that. 'They' were planning to strike sometime soon and she didn't like it. As for her brother-in-law Arabella didn't know how long he had been in Xue-Kwin but she knew one thing was certain…her brother-in-law, Olaf Von Spërling had somehow brought back his fiancée Greta…her dead sister.

* * *

'Something isn't right. I don't know what but something is really, really wrong.' Winry subconsciously bit down on her lip. She was heading to Mustangs office. She had the urge to tell Al what she had witnessed in Nanami's room and the front secretary had just told her that that is where he was. 'Why did Mustang looked so…angry?' She had only seen him like that once before and that was right when he caught up with Edward after the Lior incident that killed thousands of soldiers. At the time she had really thought that Roy was going to kill Ed and Al…or at least try to. She doubted he could kill them even if he wanted to. Ed and Al's will to survive was far and beyond Mustangs skill as an alchemist. She stopped in midstride in the hallway that led to his office, her eyes widening slightly. 'Wait…what is Al doing in Roy's office? Does that mean he was speaking with Al before he came to Nanami's operation room? Wouldn't that mean that whatever Al said made him so angry that he immediately had to go and confront Nanami??' she shook her head and continued to the office at a more urgent pace. 'What is going on?' She didn't even think to respond when she streaked past Sciezka who was calling out a greeting. She'd apologize later. She reached the office door ten seconds later and wrenched it open without caring to knock.

Al stiffened at the sound and turned around to see Winry pacing towards him after closing the office door behind herself. She looked serious, though not panic stricken in the least. "What is it Winry?? How did Nanami's automail surgery go?" his voice was a bit higher than usual. He was still a little shaken up. What he had seen while alone in the office was nothing short of petrifying. He thought that he might very well be going crazy. He could have sworn that he had seen his brother in the office window but when he had called out and the figure vanished without a trace. It hurt him, for a moment he had really thought that his brother had returned to him, and when he realized that it was just a hallucination the pain that hit him was equal to loosing his brother all over again.

It took no time at all for Winry to notice his sadness. "The surgery was fine. But Al…" she said gently. "Are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost." She sat beside him on an elegant couch that was adjacent to the main desk.

He looked down shamefully. 'No I haven't.' he thought. 'He wouldn't be a ghost because I know he is alive.' He took a deep breath to calm himself down and looked up her with his best placed façade. "It's nothing. Something stupid." he said with forced brightness.

Winry wasn't convinced for a second but she didn't want to pry him…yet. She had other things she could ask him before they returned to that topic. "Al…" she said looking him right in the eye for anything that would give away his emotions. "Just now while I was doing Nanami's automail surgery something strange happened." She paused for effect. "Someone interrupted us. You wouldn't have any idea who it was would you?" it displeased her that he looked genuinely confused. She knew he wasn't that good of actor.

He shook her head.

"It was Roy, Al."

"What was he doing there?" asked Al. His head was cocked to the side, his face impassive though interested. In that moment he looked shockingly young and innocent.

Winry frowned. "Roy was here with you wasn't he??"

"Yeah..."

"Well after he left here he came to the automail operation room and demanded to speak with Nanami. Do you have any idea why?" she asked. She pleaded inwardly that he would have some clue as to what was going on. 'Come on Al. Roy was pissed. You can't be so naïve that you don't even know what you said to upset him.'

"No, but when he left the office he looked pretty bad."

"Was he angry?"

"No…" said Al looking up at the ceiling of the office with a thoughtful expression. "He looked…scared…really scared."

Winry's frown deepened. "Al, tell me what you said to him. Something you said must have made him angry with Nanami. It looked like it was important."

Al continued to gaze with unfocused eyes. Her words didn't seem to register. "Winry he looked really scared…and I don't think he's the type that gets worried easily." he said quietly.

She held her anxiousness down with a profound effort. "Come on Al, tell me what happened."

He took a deep breath and dived right in without hesitation. He told her everything that he could remember. He explained how Roy seemed to think he knew the Sewing Life Alchemist, and how he asked if he had met anyone strange during the past month or so. He told her that Roy explained that the man he had seen on the train was in fact the Sewing Life Alchemist, who was also whom he and his brother had stayed with during the exams. He recited for her the conversation he had with Shou on the train just as he had done for the general. He took a deep breath before explaining how that particular alchemist had used his daughter somehow in a morality stricken experiment that ended in her death. Al was beyond grateful that Winry withheld her tears, though the fact that they shone through her eyes made it hard to look at her directly. He finished with how after the death of his daughter Shou had been obsessed with brining her back to life.

When Al finished the immediate silence between them was thick, and it felt as though it lasted for longer than it really did.

"Al…I don't understand it but we have to think of how this could possibly have something to do with Nanami."

Al nodded. His expression serious, he knew that he was on the verge of discovering it. It was almost within his grasp. He knew it was.

…but then…everything changed…

Suddenly, all the lights dimmed and flicked eerily as though there was a lightening storm that was causing a power outage. It began slowly…the office seemed to be moving, and it was speeding up with every passing second. Faint hallucinations of the room becoming larger and smaller in soft erratic waves were dizzying to both Al and Winry. There was surges of energy, and alchemic currents that were flowing all at different speeds, without direction all across the room, floor, walls and ceiling. It was sinister as though possessed and it took a great deal of self-control to keep there heads level.

Winry pulled her feet upon the couch on instinct, her eyes wide and worried. "Al…what is going on?" she asked her voice was surprisingly calm and even.

"I don't know…" he replied. He on the other hand had jumped to his feet, in a practiced fighter's stance. He was looking all around the room as to find the source of such unexpected events. He fought down the lightness in the pit of his stomach with great effort. When his gaze reached the window he froze instantaneously. It was clear, it wasn't a hallucination. Not this time. His brother was there. He knew it was. It had to be.

"Al what is it?" asked Winry quietly.

He didn't respond. He couldn't, he didn't have the voice. His eyes fixated on the silhouette just outside the window. Winry's eyes followed his and froze as well.

From the other side of the window the figure of Edward Elric smiled faintly. It didn't reach his eyes. He walked forward, somehow molding with the window before pulling himself all the way through. The dizziness and the alchemic currents resided almost instantly. Pride stood there, hands limply on his side, eyes slowing making there way from Winry to Al and back again. He could read them instantly. Winry wasn't fooled like Al.

"Brother?" asked Al faintly. He wasn't daring to hope. Hope was nothing without fact and proof. This was real. His brother was back. It was true! It had to be! His brother really had returned!

"No." mumbled Winry. Her eyes narrowed on the Ed lookalike. She saw right through the fake disguise. This thing wasn't Edward that she knew.

"Brother?" asked Al a little louder. His expression beautifully pained. Tears were brimming at the edge of eyes waiting to fall. Without a second thought Al took off in his supposed brothers' direction.

"Al, no!" she called desperately, her fear was evident but Al would hear nothing of it. In desperation Winry jumped off the couch, and frantically grabbed him from the shoulders holding him back.

Al looked back over his shoulder. "Winry what are you doing?!" he demanded. "Brother is back!" he tried to wrench himself out of her grip was surprisingly strong and her hold was relentless.

"Al, stop it!" she exclaimed into his back as she continued to holdfast to his jostling form. Her eyes were wide and dire. She had just realized what Roy had. She could have died right then. It was all too much. 'Ed, a homunculus?? That idiot, what was Nanami thinking brining him back??' As a result of her fearful state, her grip slackened.

"Winry what is wrong with you!?" he exclaimed. He roughly pushed off her grip. She winced and fell soundly to the ground in a tangled heap.

"Al, stop please! He's a homunculus!!" she called desperately.

He froze in midstride.

Pride watched their exchange with vague interest. 'I have missed some years…last time I remember them Winry was much younger, Al looks about right though…' At the moment he wasn't too happy with his childhood friend. That girl had exposed him. 'How could she have known just by looking at me?? Am I really that different from while I truly alive?' he scowled at her before turning his attention to his brother. "Al of course it's me!! Are you really going to believe Winry you're your own brother??" he asked.

Al's eyes were wide. He was looking back and forth between Winry and his brother.

"Al, this is me." He did his best to look genuine.

"Don't listen to him Al!! Nanami brought him back with Shou Tucker!! It all fits!! You know that!! That is what Roy realized when he went to see Nanami!!" she pleaded. She just got up from the ground. She was frantic. Al was so set on seeing his brother again so that now when he saw the homunculus he made himself believe it was real. If he had been in the right frame of mind Winry knew that he'd be able to tell that this thing was in fact just a cheap imitation.

"Al, come on. If I was a homunculus would I know that we brought back our mother with human transmutation? That I lost my arm and you lost your body. I remember how you became the philosophers' stone. What about the missions under the military, Youswell, Lior, Aquroya and Xenotime?" He smirked inwardly. 'Guess memoires really do have their worth.'

Al looked down at the ground. "I am sorry…I don't remember any of that brother…"

"Damn it Al!! He is not your brother!!" exclaimed Winry.

"What why not??" asked Pride as he effectively cutting off Winry.

Al eyes kept fixated on the ground. "After you brought me back I lost the memoires of all the time when I was in the suit of armor. When I got my body back I was ten again, the same age I was when we committed human transmutation."

"What??"

"But brother…if you really are you then why?" Al's face shot up and looked directly at his face. "Why did you not come and find me sooner?! I have been looking for a way to bring you back for three years!!"

He grimaced. 'Damn it I didn't even think of that. From what I have heard the real Edward is dead, in the city I listened to people who said that he was even going to have a funeral sometime soon. But then why does Al seem as though he was searching for him??' He thought, his brain worked quickly to find a viable alibi but before he could do that Al continued his deduction.

"And brother how come you look so young? …if you continued to age then you would be nineteen, the same as Winry." He said.

His eyes flashed dangerously. 'What!! Is he saying that I am too short to be nineteen!?' he thought furiously but for once he held his tongue.

"Come on Al. He isn't Ed. Please we have to find Mustang. He'll know what to do with him." she said her voice quavering slightly. She slowly and hesitantly paced towards him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

Pride scowled at both of them. 'This isn't working, that damn Winry it is all her fault. But really, 'what they're going to do with me??' Do they honestly think that they could keep me here if I didn't want to stay? The only reason I am here is to go to the only people whom I remember caring about…but now…they've turned against me…so now what am I supposed to do?'

"Winry but he remembers…how can he be a homunculus if he remembers everything?" asked Al quietly.

Pride's scowl deepened at being talked about him as though he wasn't ever there.

"Your metal body Al…" said Winry. "Don't you remember that the military had it? I bet Shou took it with him and implanted your memories within the homunculus." she said. She could feel Al begin to tremble beneath her touch. She tightened her grip on his shoulder. "Come on we have to get Roy…"

"No need for that."

Winry felt as though she was about to jump out of her skin when she heard the Brigadier Generals voice. They all turned so they were facing the Roy Mustang who had just arrived. He quickly closed the door behind himself.

"You really haven't developed your homunculi talents too well." he said smoothly. Roy began to pace until he was beside both Al and Winry. "Your skill at cloaking must be useful but I saw you at least three times through the window of Nanami's room." He said smoothly. His eyes were narrowed at Pride. "What are you doing here?"

He could have snorted. 'He has the gal to ask me why I am here, what a complete idiot. He is dumber than what I remember.' He thought. His eyes were fixed boredom, he looked exactly like he used to. "Well that's a stupid question Colonel, even for you."

"Brigadier General Fullmetal." It was out of his mouth before he realized it. He grimaced. 'What the hell is wrong with me? He isn't even the kid.'

Pride smirked. 'I may be a homunculus but that slip proves that I can be the real thing.' He thought. "Well General lets see." He said making a mocking point of saying General in a mock praising way. "Shou and you're um…" he paused looking Mustang deliberately in the eye, the implication was not missed.

Roy knew what Pride was saying with that knowing look at it shocked and scared him that the homunculus knew. 'Probably because Nanami's father is also a homunculus…that would explain it.' He thought.

"Let's just say long lost…friend Nanami decided it would be a good idea to try and resurrect me, Edward Elric." He continued.

Al and Winry didn't miss Pride's not so subtle reference which somehow concerned Nanami. It was clear that both Roy and Pride knew something that they didn't.

"Shut up! You're not Ed!" exclaimed Winry. But Roy raised his hand in silence before she could continue her rant. Winry scowled but obliged. In favor she took to comforting a distressed Al in any way that she could.

"But why did you come here?" asked Mustang.

Pride rolled his eyes. "Come on Colonel, I thought that you knew me better then that."

Roy gritted his teeth as the homunculus continued to refer to him as his past rank. It was unsettling how Pride could look…and even act so much like Fullmetal. But even so he could still tell right off the bat that something was missing, there was no soul. He remained silent.

Pride held back a sigh and continued. He didn't like admitting weakness but he would if it meant salvation. "I may be a homunculus but no matter what you might think I really do feel." He said quietly.

Al's face snapped up and looked at him with a slightly hopeful expression.

"It may be just because I have memories…but I don't think so…" he mumbled. "I came here because I wanted to see you…because I didn't want to believe that I became what I had fought for so long." He sighed. "Al together we fought against the homunculi who had caused us and all of our friends so much pain. You might not remember it Al but I do. I remember doing everything I could to kill them and now…now I've become one of them!!" he exclaimed. His expression was honestly pained. "How do you think it feels to be turned into the one thing that you hate more than anything!!" he yelled.

Winry scowled. 'Well that would be understandable if you could actually feel.' But she almost instantly berated herself for the thought. She pitied him. He looked so confused but she could never forget what Ed and Al lost trying to bring back their mother who also turned out to be a homunculus. This thing didn't have a soul but still she couldn't hate it, she didn't have the heart to.

He was breathing a little heavy. His shoulders slumped. "When I woke up I didn't know that I was a homunculus." He mumbled. "I thought I was really…really Edward." he was looking down at the floor. "I had to be told what I was by you're other….old friend Mustang. You know the one." He said smirking. 'I can tell just by his expression that he has been hiding the information from everyone. I would too if I was him. If that got out everyone involved would be in a load of trouble and he would surely loose his credibility to be a soldier let alone a General. Hiding from the very institution you work for is a bad habit…' He smirked inwardly. 'If I feel the need to I might even be able to use it to blackmail him.'

"So what do you want?" asked Al quietly.

Pride smiled softly. "It's simple really. I want to be who I was meant to be. I want to be Edward Elric."

* * *

**Character's update: **

**Main characters**** indefinitely are going to be Pride!Ed, Ed, Al and Nanami.**

**Major supporting characters**** are going to be Arabella, Winry (she will be a really big part at the end), Roy, Envy, Sloth (Nanami's father), Nanami's mother, some of Nanami's surviving brothers, Ryo (definitely ;), Hitoshi (Her brother's Kiyoshi, Yuudai will have a smaller part).**

**Minor supporting characters****, Haruko, Brosh, Ross, Havoc, Fuery, Breda, Falman, Sciezka, Alex Louis Armstrong, Olivier Milla Armstrong (his sister from the Manga), Catherine Elle Armstrong, Russell and Fletcher Tringham, Gluttony, Olaf Von Spërling (important but wont been seen too much), Pinako, Rose, Rose's son named…take a wild guess (?), a homunculus that I have sort of introduced named Greed, Wrath and any other small part I might need.**

_**Something to ponder**__** – What is the meaning of the title of this chapter, reunion of the Pegleg **_

**much love,**

**temariXshikamaruluva**


	10. The Secret of Roy Mustang Exposed

**Bluebirds Illusions - Pride, the deadliest sin**

**Chapter 10 – The Secret of Roy Mustang Exposed **

"That damn Mustang, who the hell does he think he is…?" she mumbled angrily under her breath. 'I can't believe he ran off like that. He'll pay for it, I'll make sure of it.' she thought. Even after three days Nanami was still lying down in the operation room where Winry had done her automail surgery. Her recovery was not going well. She seemed more hung up over what Mustang had let slip in her last conversation with him than getting ready for those ever nearing State Alchemist exams. She had come to realize that Roy Mustang was not what he seemed in the least. Something was seriously off. 'How the hell does he know that my father is a homunculus??' she crossed her arms and sulked at the memory.

_He _(Roy Mustang) _glared at her. "How the hell could he _(Shou Tucker)_ force you? You have nothing left that he could have used against you."_

_She chocked on her feeble laugh. "That is harsh really General. But you see that I was entrusted with the protection of the city that I was in. Shou captured me, and threatened that if I didn't do as he wished that he would release his hundred chimeras upon my defenseless city. I had no choice…"_

"_But it happened anyway. The city was destroyed by the eastern rebellion, and chimeras were in on it."_

"_I know." she said darkly. "It seems as though he was acting upon the influence of another. I thought maybe the homunculi who are controlling the eastern rebellion."_

"_Yes this was probably your homunculus fathers plan anyway." he replied in an equally gloomed manner. _

"_Yea probably-" but she froze dead. "General…how do you know that my father was brought back using human transmutation?"_

After that slip she naturally demanded answers…in a not so nice way but still no matter what she did or threatened to do he never gave her a straight response. In fact he refused to say anything on the matter which made it all the more suspicious, but what really had her stumped was why he left so abruptly. She remembered how he was staring out the window of her room then for a split second his eyes widened in fearful shock before leaving abruptly, completely ignoring her as she continued to protest for answers. She sighed and slumped back in her bed, her hair falling over her face. She scowled sourly and started to blow the strays hairs lamely in a vain, lackluster attempt to clear her line of sight only so her hair could fall back again thus restricting her vision even worse then before.

She inhaled sharply, a breath caught high in her throat. Her eyes clenched shut. Nanami's anger was at its peak. She was so damned frustrated with everything and she had just hit a breaking point. She didn't know what to do. "What the fuck is going on!?" she exclaimed slamming her good hand down on the bed with astounding force. Her face darkened menacingly. The feeling of foolishness for yelling so childishly with no one to hear was nothing compared to her unimaginable resentment for being in the dark concerning a situation within which she was highly involved. She hated it more than anything. It was a foreign feeling. She had always been a step ahead of everyone else her entire life and now to be so helplessly confused was absolutely destroying her pride. She must have missed something, something blatant and important but she couldn't figure out what it was.

She slammed her fist down again in anger on the bedside. The shutters on the bed sent unforgiving vibrations through her tensed body. She clenched a mouthful of sheets in either hand. '…what in the hell is going on?'

She glared daggers fiercely at the opposite wall. "How could Roy possibly know about my father being a homunculus? The only ones who do are my brother's and the eastern Xue-Kwin rebellion which the homunculi are manipulating." she grumbled. 'Wait…' her eyes widened slightly. '…he wouldn't be in on the eastern rebellion would he?' she thought. She couldn't ignore the fact that he did bear a clear resemblance to the typical Xue-Kwin citizen what with his sharp slanted eyes and pitch black hair. 'Well, more than me anyway.' she thought grimly. "Something isn't right. He must have connections in Xue-Kwin to get information like that and by god I am going to figure out what they are."

She scoffed almost instantly. 'By god?? Wow I've gone to soft.' she snorted indignantly.

Just then she heard a knock on the door of her room. 'I wonder who it is.' she thought, though she had a profound feeling that it wasn't Mustang. "Come in." she said.

A rather pompous looking young soldier came striding confidently through the door. He was rather attractive, he would be perfect the image of the saying, 'tall dark and handsome' but he had an air of arrogance was enough to rival even her own…well almost. He had a strange, long bang hanging off to the side that covered much of his side forehead. It took all her will power not to laugh her head of at him. 'I can tell just by looking at him that unlike me he can't back up that attitude…pity…I was hoping for some fun…'

He gave her a rather charming smile that she supposed was a sad attempt at being flirtatious. She instinctively fought down the instinct to gag. 'Oh come on…' she thought raising a questioning eyebrow.

"Good morning Lady Nanami, I am State Alchemist Major James."

Her lip twitched on her fake returned smile. 'Oh cut the crap pretty boy.'

He pulled up a chair and sat down across from her bedside. "I hope you're doing well Nanami."

"Oh, I am just lovely." she said with a clear sarcastic brightness…one that he blatantly seemed not to notice. 'What a retard. I just had automail surgery and he says 'I hope you're doing well.' Damn he is even dumber than he looks.'

"I am here under General Haruko's orders." he said putting definite emphasis on the name of his superior as though he thought that he were someone worth of notice.

She frowned at him and raising an eyebrow. "…yes?"

"He, General Haruko was hoping that you would like to…assist him in his efforts to bring peace to your country of Xue-Kwin." he said smoothly. It was clear he had rehearsed it may times over.

She sighed inwardly. 'It's to be expected I guess. I hate not being surprised anymore. I suppose I have to turn the tables yet again…gezzz it's annoying when you're surrounded by inanimate objects that speak more truth than these military bastards. I can't trust any of them.' she frowned. 'Wait…Mustang has something going on with Xue-Kwin from what he let slip. How am I to know which side is better, Mustang or Haruko? …ah hell they both suck. I might as well find someone else to side with. I don't even care whose side I am on as long as I get a one way trip back to Xue-Kwin. I don't think I should betray Mustang until I get the full story on what he's up to…if he is part of the Eastern Xue-Kwin rebellion he will be begging me for death before I am done with him but until I am certain one way another I have to keep his trust. But still…I could get both sides of the story…regardless of my surely repulsive, unhygienic state this brainless, halfwit, sex on legs guy looks as though he would give me any information that I wanted. My forced charm can come into use in times like these…no matter how unethical…dear god I hope he is not gay.' she shuddered lightly. '…on second thought I'll go for cunning first. If that doesn't work I'll return to plan B.'

"Your General, he would happen to be a very…active person wouldn't he?" she asked innocently enough.

"Why yes, of course." he said proudly.

"Then might I ask then where is he at the moment?"

"He is in his office, why?"

She nodded. "…was he doing anything?…important?"

He looked at her with a confused expression. "Uh- no, I don't know-"

But she cut him off. "Then I find it strange really why your General sees fit to send his lackey to discuss such important matters with one who most likely holds the biggest influence in the military at this moment in time. It is clear that since he won't see to them himself that they are not of great essential." She paused as to give this poor sole some time to begin to process what she was saying. "…forgive me my vanities but I am accustomed to being of great importance and understandably don't take kindly when others see fit to send second rates to speak with me on their behalf."

She scoffed inwardly when she saw that he had to take a few more seconds to work out what she had just said. 'Duh!!'

His face contorted into one of shock and attempted restrained anger when he finally realized her implication. "What did you call me?" he demanded.

"I am inclined to having people hear me the first time but I'll make an exception if your hearing is damaged in addition to your brain."

He tensed, his hands balling into fists at his sides. "Bitch." he mumbled under his breath.

She scoffed, amused at his anger. "You think I haven't heard that before? Your loyalty for him wavers. I can tell by the way you jump to defend yourself before you even-"

"Who are you to say?" he cut her off sharply. He was getting rattled by her. That much was clear. He had lost his calm composure.

"Who am I not to say? I trust you know my status."

He lowered his gaze "Yes…" He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before eyeing her in an attempted intimidating manner. "However when General Haruko becomes Field Marshal your status will change." he said threateningly.

"You're all such damned hypocrites the lot of you." she snapped. "Although he won't voice it your General obviously knows as I do that I am the key to having success with the Xue-Kwin rebellion. After the death of Ryo the only one who outranks me is my other brother Yuudai in West Xue-Kwin. Since the main focus of Amestris' military at the moment is the Xue-Kwin rebellion, my support for any of the candidates dictates who is going to be elected the Field Marshal by the government and so in short, Haruko won't get that position unless I want him to."

He gritted his teeth. He seemed a little taken aback by her raw intelligence and quick wit. But even so he was proud to say that he knew that Roy Mustang's days in the military were numbered. Three days earlier James had obtained information (uncongenially I might add) that if revealed would destroy the Brigadier General. It was just his luck to be passing by Roy's office when he heard him talking about homunculi. Naturally James eavesdropped. The more he heard the more he came to realize how valuable the information was. Roy, Alphonse and Winry had chosen to hide the homunculus of Edward Elric from the military…one that was created by Nanami no less. James, being the perfect subordinate told Haruko right away, though not before he was caught and punched out by a young fellow State Alchemist. Luckily Russell didn't know what he had heard while eavesdropping. The longstanding General Haruko knew that with this information he would surely become the Field Marshal if he used it to his advantage. Haruko wanted the girl under his watch and not in jail and it was because of that that he hadn't told the government of her actions in brining back Fullmetal but if she refused to support him he would reveal the information that would destroy the credibility of both his adversary Roy Mustang and the Xue-Kwin wrench. He wouldn't inform the government until after he had the power to hold the girl under his custody indefinitely, or another words, until he became the Field Marshal then to hell with Roy Mustang.

Nanami smiled softly. She was painfully unaware of his inner thoughts. "I don't like beating around the bush as I am sure you now well aware. It bores me. However I must tell you that I have not yet had enough time to decide who to support…"

"Your waiting for the best offer." he mumbled in realization.

"Finally catching on aren't you lackey?"

He frowned at her but didn't respond, knowing full well that he would get nowhere with her should he choose to debate it.

"Go back to your superiors office and tell your General to give me his best offer, and I mean best. If he acts like an obnoxious fool and gives me shit I am going to tear him apart…perhaps not literally.' She smirked. 'Yet…' she thought inwardly. "If I get something worth while I'll consider supporting him and allow him to become the Field Marshal.'

He nodded, dutifully ignoring the threat. "I will. General Haruko also sent me to also give you this." he said handing her a couple sheets of paper that were stapled together.

"What is it?" she asked without even taking the time to look at it.

"That is the survival list of Sakinaga, the city that the Amestrian military found you in."

She bit down on her tongue as to keep from giving away any emotion. It took all of her self control not to flip through the pages immediately.

She kept her eyes on him, and his on hers. The battle of wills began. He was waiting for her to look at the list, and she was waiting for him to leave before she could lower her eyes. Neither would give in to weakness. She saw glimpse of something beneath his oversized bang which she was instantly entranced by. With her quick reflexes she managed to reach up and pull the bang out of the way with her good hand. He swatted her instantly but not before she saw.

She snorted. "Who punched you? I want to send them flowers."

He scowled. "I have a feeling that Russell isn't your type."

"Russell Tringham?"

"You know him?" He seemed a little put out.

'Hum…I think I can enjoy this a bit more.' She flipped her hair offhandedly. "Yea, I guess your assumptions are wrong. Didn't you hear about us?" But then she clasped her hand over her mouth. "Oh crap, maybe he didn't want anyone to know, you know because I am from Xue-Kwin and he is a State Alchemist. I suppose it could complicate things a bit." she smirked inwardly at his sadden expression. 'I can't believe he still wants me even after how much of a bitch I've been…ahh the miracle of attraction. The good-looking ones think they can get any girl they want…I guess I may have dented his ego…awesome! Toying with emotions is one of my favorite pastimes…wow I am terrible.' But she felt no remorse for her conspicuous lie. In fact she quite enjoyed it the results.

He did his best to straighten himself up again in a vain attempt to look appealing. He nodded to her respectfully and got up off the chair and made his way out of the room, addressing her formally as Lady Nanami again before closing the door firmly behind him.

'…lying about dating Russell might have been a bit stupid. I guess I'm going to have to tell 'Tree boy' that it was just a joke before it gets back to him. I just hope that the rumor doesn't give him any strange ideas.' She shook her head and sighed before flipping through pages in hand.

As expected the survivors of Sakinaga were limited. Still there were more than she had anticipated, around forty, some of which were heavily wounded. As she made her way down the list one of the survivors came as a fairly pleasant surprise to Nanami.

"You never die do you Hitoshi…" she mumbled under her breath, a smile playing on her lips. 'I thought you were a goner, especially after your suicidal refusal to not use alchemy ever again after we transmuted our father. I wonder how he managed to stay alive…' She looked down at her automail arm sadly. "I was sure that he would have died…" she scoffed. 'I've replaced my brothers' automail…with an Amestrian girls' who seems to be infatuated with the Fullmetal Alchemist no less…Hitoshi you're going to kill me aren't you?'

The sheet said that he and the refugees of Sakinaga had been sent to Roshihima, where her other remaining brothers, Yuudai and Kiyoshi were.

She bit her lip. 'But he's alive…' her eyes dulled. 'I thought I had lost another brother.' she smiled softy. 'Even though Hitoshi is a complete ass most of the time…okay all of the time, I am still glad to see that he is alive.' She sunk back into her bed. 'So now the number of my brothers is back to three. The almighty Yuudai., the cocky Hitoshi and…' her expression softened even more. 'Kiyoshi…' she closed her eyes and leaned back with her arms behind her head.

She mournfully began numbering her dead family members off in her head. 'My mother, Lady Ameterasu was the first to go…I hardly remember her at all…she was a strange woman. Great alchemist but obsessed with both Drachma and Xue-Kwin after she was banished from her home country of Amestris because of a catastrophic falling out in the military.' She remembered hearing from her father that she would often visit Drachma to teach some of the exceptionally intelligent citizens some alchemy. 'Then Ryo…he died when I was young as well but I have heard too many stories about his geniuses that I feel like I know him as well as anyone even though he was assassinated by the eastern rebellion…I remember how upset father was…they never even found his body. Through my youth my goal was to model myself after my dead oldest brother. I did my best to replace him in the eyes of Xue-Kwin and above all else my father. Then a few years later father was killed…when he died things spiraled out of control. The rebellion was growing fast, and we could no longer fully contain it. Soon after his death my triplet older brothers, Hitoshi, Yoshi and Kiyoshi and I foolishly attempted human transmutation to bring him back.

We were so enthusiastic, dead set on returning him to the flesh from the moment of his death. We hid our plans well from our other three older siblings, Eiji, Yuudai and Takeo. They didn't know what we were planning until it was too late. We blindly continued on our efforts to bring him back, completely ignoring all the warnings because we were reckless wanted it bad enough. After father died we thought there was nothing else more we could loose…we were wrong…' she sighed at the memory, her eyes dulling. 'Afterwards all four of us taboo committers gave up something. For me it was my arm…which I have added to by loosing my leg in the Edward Elric human transmutation. Now my entire left side is artificial. Kiyoshi was similar to myself in that he lost one of his legs. Hitoshi lost some minor digestive organs. Not something that could kill him, only cause him discomfort from time to time. He hasn't done alchemy since that day. In favor he became an automail engineer. He was a natural. The area of prosthetic limbs was lacking in the country, and he also helped out Kiyoshi and myself by creating fake limbs for us. And Yoshi…he lost more than any of us. He lost his sanity, his mind. We couldn't help him and he couldn't cope. Within a month of the transmutation he committed suicide in a very gruesome manner.' She shuddered at the memory. She'd never forget it for it was she who had the pleasure of seeing his mangled body before anyone else.

Within a year afterwards both Eiji and Takeo were killed in an assassination which was carried out by none other than their homunculus father. The guilt that she, Hitoshi and Kiyoshi had felt for being the cause of two more of their brother's deaths was too much for them to bear.

Kiyoshi immediately fell into a depressed seclusion while she and Hitoshi distanced themselves as far as they possibly could from their only other remaining brother, Yuudai. He was overbearing and intimidating. The only one who could keep her in check though she knew her skill as an alchemist was far and beyond his own. Her guilt is what reigned over her when she was near him. She would never defend herself in his presents let alone retaliate and he would never forgive her or her triplet brother's for they had done. Nanami came to realize that she was suffering even more under his gaze so she requested a transfer to Sakinaga, the second largest city in West Xue-Kwin and very far away from Yuudai in Roshihima. Surprisingly he accepted and gave her authority practically equal to his own. He sent Hitoshi with her while Kiyoshi stayed with him.

The only thing he said to her as an explanation was, _'You have been blessed with the skill Nanami-nee-chan. Now start repaying your debt and perhaps you can redeem a fraction of yourself before you pass into the next world.' _

* * *

The stars were beautiful tonight. He never tired of it, gazing up into the stars as though to another universe that was so close yet still so far away…always just beyond his reach. It was comforting somehow. The sky was something familiar that was unbending between the two parallel worlds.

Edward sighed and flexed his sore neck which was resting on top of his hands that were behind his head. The coarse roof of his house wasn't the most comfortable of accommodations but it was the only place he could get privacy. Not that he didn't like who he was living with. It wasn't that at all. Alphonse and Noa were fine, they were both great company in fact but still there were sometimes where he preferred to indulge in silence, and contemplate his situation alone. This was one of those times.

He knew he was close, he could feel it. It wouldn't be long now. He was excited and anxious to return to home but there was something that was still egging on him. It had something to do with that girl Nanami…or Aminna as she preferred to be addressed as now. Her relations were nothing short of astounding and from her he learned a lot about some alter egos of those he had know very well in Amestris. It was rattling and because of what he had learned he was afraid to know what he would see when he returned to Amestris. He hoped that the people there had not followed the same course as these.

'Ryo Tsumang…' he thought scoffing lightly. 'He is no where close to the Roy Mustang I know.' He thought back to when he first encountered the Colonels counterpart. Edward had recognized him right away. After speaking with him on the street and asking his name. 'Ryo Tsumang' the man had replied, Ed was even more certain of it, after all Ryo Tsumang was an exact anagram of Roy Mustang. It was funny actually. Ryo had recognized his own name as one of the most esteemed physicists in Germany and requested that he took a look at his sisters Nanami's work. At first Edward hadn't been sure it was real. The roles were now reversed. Instead of him working for Roy is was now Roy…or rather Ryo who was requesting for his help in finding his sister a job. Had it been anyone else Ed would have refused but he had to know more. Was this Amestris' Roy Mustangs hidden past life with his brothers and sister? He still didn't know but he would definitely be asking the Colonel about it upon his return.

It was funny really. He remembered speaking with the Tsumang family and Officer Hughes a week or so back about changing their names because all of them (meaning mostly Nanami) were really fed up with how they were treated after people on the streets realized their outside relation. Even though Japan seemed to be siding with Germany in the western world's confrontations all the looks they got were still rather annoying. Then so Hughes naturally suggested they simply switch their names. At that time Ed remembered that he had had some trouble containing himself. He knew exactly where it was heading then. Ed subtly suggested they used anagrams of their old names as to not complicate things further. It was amusing to watch all of them think up viable European names with the letters in their name. Nanami quickly came up with Aminna, though it wasn't a popular name and more often used in Northern African countries such as Morocco it still would do. Ryo's was simple naturally, since it could only be changed to either Yor or Roy. Naturally Roy was the one chosen. Hitoshi was troublesome, eventually they had to be happy with Thihsio a reverted old Spanish name, and as for Yuudai and Kiyoshi when they finally came down to it they refused to change their names, preferring to stick with the one they were given at birth by their deceased parents. But the best part of it all what when the four of them after much debate came to an agreement to change their last name. They spent a good ten minutes to think of a believable one before Edward took pity on them and offhandedly mentioned that Mustang was a anagram of Tsumang.

It was then he realized that he had just created a second Roy Mustang. He almost shuddered at the thought. He couldn't believe that he had actually voluntarily made another one. He thought that one Roy Mustang was enough for two worlds but apparently it wasn't.

Regardless of the name they still looked exactly the same, even acted similarly but the one here on this side of the gate was lost and Ed didn't like it. He was used to having the bastard Colonel making his snide comments and antagonizing insults…not this. He wondered if the Colonel had acted similarly since his absents and given up alchemy just as Ryo Tsumang gave up rocketry and uranium mining.

It was a strange. He wanted to return but still he was worried. He was afraid for the worst, his brother dead, Winry all alone and Roy with a broken mind. He knew it was selfish but he knew that he couldn't bear it if that was true.

He shook his head to rid himself of his doubting thoughts. 'No matter what I have to return, I can't rest not knowing if I succeed in bringing Al back.'

He sighed and looked down at his watch. It read 11:45 pm. He got up steadily, making sure not to loose his balance on the roofs shingles. His automail leg was difficult to maneuver on such slanted footings, though with his expertise he quickly made his way to the large window which he had dutifully left open and swung himself though before effortlessly landing softly on the 3rd class hardwood floor. He closed the window behind himself before making his way down the stairs and out of the house. 'I wonder what father has planned to get me back, and why did he want me to come so late? It better be good or else I'll break that old mans neck…' he though smirking lightly. 'I guess dad isn't too bad anymore, definitely still a bastard but not as much as before I suppose.'

* * *

**So in this chapter we find out that Roy Mustang is really Ryo Tsumang and thus the oldest brother of Nanami (in both universes just so you know). **

**much love,**

**temariXshikamaruluva**


	11. Reflection

**Bluebirds Illusions - Pride, the deadliest sin**

**Chapter 11 – Reflection **

**_Germany 1923_**

"You are such a jerk!!"

"Well you're being a bitch!!"

"Hitoshi, don't call your little sister a bitch!!"

"She's your little sister too and you know how she is!"

"How what am I?? And would you quit calling me your little sister! It pisses me off! After all, this _'little sister'_ of yours is paying for your food, and clothes on your ungrateful back!!" exclaimed Aminna, her eyes wide and furious.

Ryo Tsumang or shall I say Roy Mustang watched three of his younger siblings, Yuudai, Hitoshi and Aminna argue over something that was absolutely trivial, and as usual it snowballed into a catastrophic yelling match between the three of them, mostly Aminna and Hitoshi hollering at each other, doing all they could to viciously rip the other apart from the inside with hurtful, below the belt remarks, while Yuudai did his best to moderate the two young, hot-blooded teens. It was almost habit by now and it hardly fazed him anymore as he watched them impassively.

"You are a disgrace to this family Nanami!! You continue to work with uranium even though you know how it killed Takeo and Eiji! And hell, you basically did in Yoshi all by yourself too!!"

Aminna's jaw dropped as Hitoshi dealt her a very low verbal blow. He had even refused to address her with her new namesake. "Working at the factory might not be the most humane job in the world, but it's all I can fucking do!! If you got a problem with how I run MY life, or pay for YOURS then why don't you get out of my face, get up off you're lazy ass, get a job yourself, move out of here, and let me do my work.

Before Hitoshi could retort Aminna stormed out of the kitchen, her extremely long red hair whipping behind her back. Her smaller but full framed body was rigid with anger. She made her way towards the door leading outside in a heavy huff, pushing past Kiyoshi who was just entering the room as she was leaving. Kiyoshi tripped over himself, almost falling to the floor in a desperate attempt to get out of Aminna's deliberate beeline. He gave a questioning look towards his brothers as though asking with his eyes what had happened. Roy and Yuudai just shook their heads as Hitoshi stormed up the stairs to his room in the opposite direction.

Even though Aminna was only in light cotton shirt and thin pants she didn't feel January cold as uncomfortably dry wind blew unforgivingly across her body, bringing a few snowflakes to fall into her tangled hair and whipping the excess material of her clothes. "That guy…I hate him…" she mumbled under her breath. Her fists were clenched in anger. "Ungrateful…" She shuttered more from anger than the chill. "My life makes his possible…." She held her scowl and paced down the streets without direction. "Thihiso – damn, I won't call Hitoshi Thihsio if he won't call me Aminna…"she grumbled. "He doesn't know what he is talking about." She shook her head vigorously. She was absolutely steaming.

Hardly anyone was out. Most were trying to hide from the weather. Only a few partial drunks were outside a pub, obviously doing all they could to drink their worries away. There were some others buying food at a marketplace that was across from her house. She hardly noticed, only hearing the common complaint of how ridiculous the inflation upon their mark was.

"_My family is sick, starving and there are no jobs at all! What am I supposed to do!!" exclaimed a man by the market. Apparently he had just been caught trying to steal food. "14 marks for a piece of fruit!! I can't even buy enough to feed my family!!" _

She looked down, watching her every step with a solemn expression as she paced along the cracked street. Her eyes dulled as she heard the police closing in on the man.

"_Please!! I have family!!" he hollered. "They'll starve without anything to eat!!"_

Aminna shut out the rest of it. She didn't want to hear these suffering people. It was disgraceful what Germany had been reduced to. They had once been one of the most affluent, industrious and powerful nations in the world, but now, now they had been reduced to the point of absolute desperation. Aminna felt no loyalty towards Germany, just like she felt no loyalty to her deceased German mother - or anyone else for that matter, but her pity for the country as a whole would not subside. Suffering for those who were not accustomed to it was something worse than the most agonizing death.

She continued down the street with nothing but the howling winds in her ears to keep her troubled mind company. Her eyes stayed unfocused, regarding every detail of every nook and cranny of the roadway but never truly seeing, only to be left with a feeling of emptiness, just like she always did when out on the crumbling streets of Berlin.

She didn't know how long she walked for, she had lost track of time. The sun now lay about an hour before sunset. Ryo would definitely be furious with her when she returned. She had never been out alone this late before. The Berlin streets were dangerous, she knew that as much as anyone, but she still couldn't muster enough sentiment to really care. Stories of abductions, killings or even rape were almost common conversation, especially for young girls wondering around alone just like she was now. But she was confident that she could defend herself…she was not so helpless. She realized that the road she had been pacing was now completely clear and barren, without the faintest sound to be heard. She stopped in midstride with a feeling of forbidding that had just come over her. She had unintentionally made her way towards the factory where she worked on rocketry. Now she was less than a block away. It was strange. A foreign feeling began to grow inside her, as though some exterior force had pulled her there. The fierce wind subsided almost eerily, nothing moved or even made the faintest sound. The street was dark and fog was spreading, seeping into every corner of the street. The light cast from the still working century old streetlamps was bent and absorbed by the thickening smog. She could hardly see in front of herself. Something was seriously off and it was then that she knew she was being watched. It sent a shiver through her spine. 'Damn it...' she thought angrily. It was as though fate was laughing at her. Just moments before she had been brushing off the thoughts of abduction and rape, whereas now it looked to be far too real of circumstance. The silence was deafening. She did her best to keep her senses sharp, and alert.

'What have I gotten myself into now?' She narrowed her eyes in concentration. The hairs on the back of her neck were standing up. She did her best to keep her breathing even. 'Their hunting me again aren't they? I am being targeted for my work with atomic bombs…I knew they'd find me...just like last time. I didn't think they'd be this quick to get to me in Germany though. This really isn't the best time…. How could I be so careless?' she scolded herself. Aminna grasped the hilt of one of the daggers that she always carried with her under her outer layer of clothing just for sticky situations with this. She hoped that her being left-handed would throw her followers off slightly; it often did.

It came before she could react. She heard it before she saw it. A loud bang and the piercing whistling sound of bullet cutting through the thick air, she turned and a heavy, blunt force hit her hard on the back of her head and again on her mid back. She could feel the pain shooting throughout her entire body, and the blood making its way down. Everything went black as she felt herself falling towards the cemented road. A crushing feeling overwhelmed her as she crumbled onto herself. She knew she had been tricked. A bullet aimed near her to make her turn and someone to knock her out just as she left herself vulnerable for a split second. Anger boiled over as she fell into her unconscious state.

When she started to come to she didn't know how long she had been out for. Aminna could feel that her hands were tied painfully, tightly behind her back. She was leaned against the wall of a dully coloured but distinguished looking room and was bruised all over her body, not heavily, but enough to cause her a fair amount of discomfort. Her eyes swam in and out of focus, making her dizzy, but she could still tell that she was completely surrounded by many full-grown men who were sitting at a large table in the middle of the room. Her head throbbed as though hit repeatedly with the blunt end of a shovel. She withheld the urge to retch.

"She's up." said a man who she couldn't quite make out. He was sitting at the table that was in the center of the room.

She was lifted up from her waist by a man who she couldn't see. He was taking far too much liberty while grasping her form but she bit down on her lip to keep quiet. If her brothers had been there the man would have surely been beaten to a pulp in an instant for handling her so audaciously. He was rather rough with her and was surely giving her a few more well deserved bruises. He smelt fairly heavily of alcohol. The other men in the room looked far more refined. She was shoved upon an old unsteady chair at the side of the head of the long table where most of the men were sitting. There must have been around ten to fifteen of them all together. There was also one darker skinned, rather attractive, though harassed looking woman who was sitting amongst them with a hardened scowl on her face. It was clear that she was not there by choice.

"Untie her hands." said an old, hoarse male voice that came from her side.

She turned her neck to the side and was surprised to see a man sitting almost directly beside her. He looked as though he was in a similar predicament as herself, though his hands were free. He held them clasped in front of himself, heavily scarred. He looked worn and exhausted. She could tell that he had been tortured.

A soft feminine laugh came from behind her.

'…another woman…' thought Aminna.

"Very well Hohenheim. Even though you are in no position to give orders, I don't really see the harm in it." said the lady as she came into view in front of them. She was a major contrast to the men and other woman in the room, all of whom were wearing dark suits, most with darker hair and features. This other woman, who looked to be in charge, was wearing an odd sort of white suit with overlarge shoulders. Her hair was with thick and it came around her shoulders in a paler colour. She had an odd look about her. Her expression looked kind enough, with a soft smile but there was something off with her. Aminna had seen than look in other's eyes before, including her own and she knew that it wasn't to be trusted. She kept her wary eyes fixed on this woman.

Aminna heard a few footsteps coming from behind her and her wrists were unbound. She kept her face impassive, gazing them all with forced indifference. She was already doing all she could to plot her escape.

"My name is Dietlinde Eckhart." said the woman in front of her.

Aminna made no move to reply, only gazed at her with a dull expression. 'I've heard that name before…'

Dietlinde paced towards her with an unreadable façade. "It isn't polite to ignore." she said softly. She was circling her like a predator does its prey.

Aminna still didn't make a move.

Dietlinde's eyes darkened knowingly. "I had hoped that your Rhine River Valley mother would have taught you some manners even if your father didn't."

She bit down on the inside of her lip to keep her own façade. 'So this is about the atomic bombs…that's what their after. They obviously know about my German mother's disgrace and marriage to a Japanese physicist who was researching the bomb.'

She frowned and turned around, facing the woman who was sitting at large table. "This is the girl right Greta?" she asked sharply.

"Yes-s, yes, she's the girl." she stuttered. She looked utterly petrified.

"She doesn't look Japanese at all. She's a redhead? With Green eyes? She has no reaction about the mention of her parents. I knew it was far-fetched and only followed through with it because the Führer said you were one the best. Now are you certain?" demanded Dietlinde. Aminna scowled inwardly, they were talking about her as though she wasn't even there.

"Yes I am sure." Greta replied shakily. "That's her." Dietlinde frowned but nodded in acceptance.

Aminna's head was spinning. 'What is going on here? How is that woman supposed to recognize me, I have never seen her before in my life! This is ridiculous!' she thought. 'I'll play this one out and see where it goes.' she took a calming breath, and leveled her gaze. "Who are you people?" she asked. "What do you want with me??"

The muttering started rippling all across the table before quickly quieting down again. Dietlinde turned back to face her. "You aren't going to worm your way out of this one Nanami Tsumang. Don't you pretend now." she said smoothly. "You should know by now what we want with you. I have been told that this isn't the first time that you've been taken hostage. I also don't plan on letting you escape like you did from all your past capturers."

"Nanami who? That isn't my name." she squeaked innocently. 'I want to know how they found out who I am damn it.' she thought. 'Well really, Nanami Tsumang isn't my name anyway, as of now it is Aminna Mustang.'

Dietlinde took a step towards her, bent down so they were nose to nose and slapped her hard across the face. Aminna almost fell off the chair just from pure shock.

"I don't stand for liars." she said with eerie calmness. "It's in your eyes. You are not an innocent, young girl. You are the daughter of Eiji and Tara Amuse Tsumang. If the soothsayer says so than it must be true."

Her eyes widened. 'Soothsayer?? What is going on? So their Führer is depending on fortune tellers now?' she thought with a frown. "What do you want from me?" she demanded.

"Right to the point now, that's more like it girl." she said pacing up and down the side of the table.

Aminna bit down on her lip to keep from protesting and glared daggers at her.

"It isn't really what we want you to do, forcing you, or anything of the sort, I would prefer to call it…equivalency…" she said coming to a deliberate stop. She raised her hand to silence the continued murmuring.

She forced herself to keep her expression impassive. 'Equivalency my ass…'

"We have discovered that there is a rat within one of our own." said Dietlinde. "By that, meaning that there is someone within the factory who opposes us and our objective as well as your own with uranium and atomic bombs; yes we are the head of the factory where you work. We are inside the factory was we speak." she said in response to Aminna's surprised expression.

"You want me to take them down."

"Catch on quickly girl." she nodded in faint approval. "However we have come to know what has happened within your infamous past and the Japanese Government, and many other organizations have already offered us large sums of money for your return."

"Plan on blackmailing me?" she asked in a stoic voice. 'Their plan is all coming together now. How am I going to get out of this one…?' she thought, her brain was working on overdrive but she still couldn't find a way out. They had planed it perfectly.

"Right again. Exactly." she said nodding.

Aminna scowled. "You are doing secretive and most likely illegal operations, someone was sent here to infiltrate it, most likely rightfully so, and you don't want to dispose of them with the blame on you, so when you found out my history you decided to use me as a pawn." she said through gritted teeth. 'I have to get out of here.' Her eyes were scanning the entire room, looking for something she could use in escape.

Dietlinde's eyes darkened. "Pawn isn't the best word and your analogy of right and wrong is purely opinion based, but in general, yes that is what we want…or rather, what we demand." her voice boomed. She watched Aminna look over the room. "We will offer you up to the German Government if you don't do as ordered, you cannot escape from here, don't even try, we have guards at every exit, and even if you did manage to get out of here we have your entire family under surveillance. If you vanished we'd just take them instead."

She went stiff. She might very well have no alternative options. She looked Dietlinde directly in the eyes. "Fine." She mumbled. "You said equivalency. What will you give me in return?"

"Protection from all those who hunt you…and you have many."

"What if I am caught?"

"You won't be, and if you are we have enough influence to allow you to work here while serving your sentence."

"If you have such authority why don't you kill this rat yourself?"

"You ask far too many questions girl." She crossed her arms and frowned at Aminna. "If a murder was traced back to this organization we'd be abolished. If you are caught we can blame it on your history and because it would be viewed as a crime against Germany the German Government wouldn't allow you to leave the country anyways."

It had all fallen into place. She had finally been cornered, caught without any visible escape. It was as though a bomb had just gone off in her brain, exploding before dulling all her senses. 'This is the end of the line for me isn't it?' she thought morbidly. She was jolted back to the number of people who were in the room. For the most part they had been quiet the entire time that she had been there. She looked down at her lap, sighed in defeat. "What exactly do you want me to do?"

Dietlinde smiled. "Kill them." she ordered stopping directly in front of Aminna.

"He's on his way. He just left his house." said the lady soothsayer in a soft, quavery voice.

Dietlinde nodded towards the man beside Aminna. "I am glad to see that you have held up your side of the deal Hohenheim. He is coming then."

* * *

The cold was unforgiving. He rubbed his automail arm that was beginning to get irritably stiff. Where his automail attached to his skin was becoming painful with the early January weather.

He bit his lip, trying to hold back a wince, and set his eyes dead ahead. The factory where he Al, Aminna and other leading physicists worked was very close. 'What is that old man up to now? Why did he want me to go to the factory tonight? Has he really gotten a way to send me back home?' he thought narrowing his sharp golden eyes. 'This had better be good.' The streets of Berlin were barren and lifeless other that the alleyways which he was avoiding as well as he could. The nights in Berlin were tough for the many without homes, those who had lost everything after the Great War (The Great War is what WWI was called before WWII started). To die of famine or everyday sickness was far more common than most other Europeans would suspect. The inflation put upon the German mark was on the verge of ludicrous, and just to eat was a constant, never-ending struggle. Edward pitied the slum of Germany. He couldn't however be distracted with troublesome pickpockets or desperate hookers. He was going home, and although it would be thought of as selfish to others; he had better things to do. He had a place where he belonged and his own personal desires were beyond care for the world he had been living within for the past three years. While here he only allowed himself miniscule attachments, Alphonse being at the heart of it. Alphonse Heidrich was the one person whom he had grown exceptionally fond of while in this strange world. Well…he'd admit that he was rather taken with Noa as well. He got to know her fairly well, and enjoyed her company very much. Then again he couldn't forget about Mister and Misses Hughes. Also, meeting the Tsumang/Mustang family was very interesting, and he had gotten to know Aminna a little bit during the short time that she had worked at the factory with him. He liked rocketry too. Maybe it was almost as special to him as alchemy.

He stopped abruptly in midstride, shaking his head to rid himself of his thoughts. "Stop it." he scolded. He felt childish for reprimanding himself. Sighing, he continued on his way. 'I am going home. I have to, no matter what has happened these past few years I have to go back if not for me then for Al.'

He lowered his gaze. The streets just were like the buildings were cracked, looking long past repair. Germany was crumbing from within and there was nothing anyone could do about it, after all they had to pay for damages of the Great War and who knows how long they'd be forced to suffer for that. 'This country is strong, they'll survive.' he thought offhandedly but then he remembered all the anger and bitterness that had been growing steadily in the years that since he arrived. Ed knew it was going to overflow soon. 'Hitler…that damned extremist has been gaining a lot of support recently.' he thought frowning. 'Germany is desperate…but still I don't think they could allow such a person to ever gain power. It would be better to die that to force another terrible war on the world with someone like him running it.' But in his heart he knew it wasn't true. People who didn't understand the consequences of their actions would do anything if driven to the point of desperation. His eyes softened upon remembering his own attempt at human transmutation. 'I didn't understand what I was doing and I am still paying for it.' he thought looking down at his automail arm and leg with a saddened, sheepish gaze. He frowned at remembering Mr. Hughes wearing the Nazi armband. 'He is a good guy. Just too damn naïve to understand what is really going on with that political party. He has to stop supporting them. He has to learn to just bear with what is going on and persevere somehow.' He sighed heavily. He knew that it was too easy for him so say. This wasn't his world.

He had finally come within a hundred meters of the front entrance to the factory complex. He sighed. "This world was fine before I came and will be fine long after I am gone."

He didn't even try the front doors. They would be locked. 'Old man wants me wants me to go inside does he?' he thought. His eyes quickly scanned over the building looking for a way in. 'Window I guess?' he thought, he rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Why can't I ever just do things the easy way?" he mumbled grumpily under her breath.

He took a deep breath and looked ahead, eyes focused. "Let's see if I still have it." he said with his trademark smirk. He knew how he was getting in. He took a few steps back, clasped his hands together as though doing an alchemic transmutation before sprinting at a dumpster that was at the side of the building. He jumped up, landing a little awkwardly with his knees extremely bent on the echoing metal top before pushing off immediately without loosing any momentum. In mid-air he reached up as much as his smaller framed body would allow before grasping onto the ledge of the window. He winced as his real hand clenched over many shards of glass on the window frame. He let his real arm fall limp at his side. He could tell that his hand was cut deeply, blood already covered his hand. He looked down a couple stories from his place hanging on the side window before quickly pulling himself up with his unhindered automail arm.

He groaned lightly as he pushed his way through the remaining glace earning himself a long, thin facial cut on his upper left cheek. "Damn it…" he winced. "This had better be worth it or else I swear I am going to kill him." he grumbled once he planted his feet firmly on the ground.

He could hear someone or something moving in the factory area, a level below of where he was. They were light, quick steps, nothing like his fathers. 'Could it be a trap?' he thought suddenly, his eyes widening. 'I haven't seen the old man in over a year then he just calls me out of the nowhere, refuses to tell me where he's been, and asks to meet him at the factory…could he have been held hostage or plotting his trap of his own?' With his father's history he knew that either seemed like a high possibility. His face hardened. 'If it is a trap then I'll spring it.' a sly smirk forming on his face. 'Just like old times eh?'

He bit down on the inside of his cheek as he took out as many shards as he could that were imbedded in his hand. He made his way down the corridor, making sure to make the least amount of noise possible, but he could help but think that his steps were like booming drums that echoed from the stale concrete to the entire building.

He reached the end after what felt like an eternity and had to fight to keep his usual cool. This was no more dangerous than anything else he had ever done so what was making him feel so anxious. Was it the possibility of returning home? He didn't know. He looked out a glass plane that showed the lower factory levels and he saw something that he had not expected in the least. 'Aminna?' he thought surprised. 'What the hell is she doing here?'

It was strange, her body language looked very awkward, and it was sending off completely contradictory messages. Her pace was tense, quick and agitated, while her back was uncharacteristically slumped over and her eyes were dull and empty, making her look as though she were in desperate need of sleep. 'What's gotten into her?' She was making her way out of his line of sight. He looked around himself before finding a set of stairs that descended to the main level. He bolted down them without a second thought. He went flying through to the base level as fast as anyone, including himself would have thought possible. He came around the corner and was facing about thirty meters away from a rattled, wide-eyed Nanami. She must have heard him coming, and thought that he was some kind on intruder. Her back was facing him. She was hiding behind a piece of machinery and had a broomstick clasped tightly in her hands.

He saw her immediately. It took all his will power not to taunt her. She looked beyond comical. "Aminna…I can see you, get out of there."

He heard her terror filled gasp. Ed frowned. He was starting to get a little worried. He didn't know what would make her so afraid.

She stood up and faced him, about fifty meters away. It looked like she was going through some inner battle. Her face was contorting from confusion, to shock, to absolute frozen in fear panic. She was petrified. 'Him?? Ed?? What is going on here? This can't be right. There has to be a mistake. Ed can't be the person who opposes Thule society…he can't be the person who I am supposed to kill…' She couldn't move. 'Ed wouldn't, he would never have plotted against me…' It was getting hard for her to breath. She stood, rigid to the spot. She couldn't move.

"Aminna?" asked Ed taking a step forward. "What is it?" his words echoed loudly throughout the factory. He began making his way toward her. "Are you hurt?"

Her eyes widened as he came towards her. 'I have to get out of here.' she thought. 'I can't do this.' She clenched her eyes shut, turned on her heel and ran as fast as her feet would carry her.

"Hey!" called Ed. "Wait, stop!" He began sprinting after her. 'What the hell is going on here?' She skidded around a corner, and Ed followed her right on her heels. 'Damn it she's really fast.' He gritted his teeth and went for her, advancing a little bit each step. He heard her make a distressed sound. She could tell that he was catching up. She looked over her shoulder at saw that he was hot on her heels.

'Where am I going to go?' She ducked under another piece of machinery but she tripped over a low beam and she felt her feet being take out from underneath herself. Ed had caught just up. He basically tackled her in her fall, grabbing her around her midsection, turning in midair so that he would connect first with the floor, and get the brunt of the impact. Ed collided hard with the ground, getting the wind knocked out of himself, but refused to loosen his hold on her struggling form.

"Let me go!" she protested. She managed to get one of her arms free and elbow him in the stomach. He grabbed it in his automail hand, but then she got her other arm free with which she reached inside the bottom of her shirt and pulled out a small dagger. She had it pressed to his throat in an instant.

Ed froze, eying her with sharp eyes. If she made a move against him he would crush the arm that he was holding.

"Let me go Ed." she said in a quiet voice.

"What is-"

"Let me go!!" she hollered, her breathing beginning to labour.

He glared at her, his face darkening. He relinquished his grip and slowly pulled away. Aminna relaxed her form and Ed took advantage. He immobilized the arm that held the dagger with inhuman quickness before she had a change to recover.

She made a low groaning sound before unexpectedly kicking Ed at a pressure point in his side. She wormed her way out of his grasp, got up and began to run again.

Ed swore under his breath and took after her for a second time, keeping her dagger ready at hand.

Aminna frantically looked around the cluttered area. 'I have to hide.' She knew that he was faster on a straightaway. She swerved around a corner, turning down another a couple meters later. She was lengthening the distance now. 'Damn it…' she thought after seeing that she was almost at the wall of the factory. She turned yet another corner but this time she slipped on the damp floor. She cried out and fell hard to the tough concrete floor, skidding on her side until she crashed into a wall, knocking the breath out of her.

"Aminna!" he called. Ed came up behind her, bending down beside her, but still making sure that we wasn't too close. He wasn't sure if she had another dagger hidden somewhere. One of her pant legs was torn and she was bleeding from her leg. The back of her shirt was party torn open too and her back was marred with many shallow cuts, it was beat red and seared as though skinned.

Aminna gritted her teeth, the pain was overwhelming. 'Damn it.' she thought. Stars were still exploding in front of her eyes.

"Are you alright?" he asked. He placed the dagger behind him, out of her reach and hesitantly came to a kneeling position beside her. He could tell that she was hurt, and was in no position to make a move on him.

She didn't answer, just wincing harder.

He knew that he wasn't good with helping injuries and stuff and he really wanted to know what had been going on but he wisely choose to put off interrogating her, at least until she recovered for a minute or so.

He helped her sit up and took off his coat, covering her scraped, half-exposed back with it before leaning her back up against the wall. "Either I bring you to a hospital or you tell me what the hell was going on just now." he said moving back from her.

Aminna shook her head, fighting a hard fight to get back to the light. "No…I'll be fine in a bit. Give me a second…" she mumbled. She closed her eyes. Her head was still spinning a bit. She tried to withhold the urge to retch for a second time that night. She lifted a hand to massage her throbbing head.

"Hold it." said Edward suddenly, his voice sharp. His hand shot out to grasp her arm that she had just raised. "Bruises…"

She bit down on the inside of her lip to keep from saying anything. 'Oh no….' she thought worriedly. 'What do I tell him?' She would either have to kill Ed or she'd be killed by the Thule society, but she knew that she wouldn't be able to kill Ed…she could tell him what happened and get him to play along with a staged act against Thule. "Must have gotten them when I fell…" she mumbled.

His gripped tightened slightly, and pulled her arm towards him. "No you didn't. You didn't fall on this arm and you wouldn't have gotten bruising this fast anyway." His eyes narrowed at her. "What is really going on here? What are you hiding and why did you pull a dagger on me? What was that all about??"

"Nothing." she said snatching her hand away from his grasp.

"Nothing my ass Aminna. You had a dagger to my throat a minute ago, and you expect me to accept that answer?" he bit back. He moved closer to her, his eyes widening in anger at seeing her also marred other arm, back and neck. "Tell me what happened to you. Why do you have bruises all over your arm?! I can now see them on your back and neck too! Who the hell did this to you Aminna?!" he demanded.

She winced at the loudness of his voice. Sighing, she let her neck fall limp.

He made a low growling sound. "Look at me!" he demanded. He reached forward, and raised her chin to make her look at him in the eye. "What happened!?"

She sighed, staying deathly still for a couple seconds before suddenly grasping his shoulder at lighting speed with her less injured arm. She could feel his body stiffening under her touch. "Listen, don't say anything and don't move." she said in an extremely quite voice, even Ed had to lean forward more just to hear her. He was almost nose to nose with her now. His eyes widened in surprise. He hesitated for a moment before nodding half an inch.

She started. She decided that was going to tell him most of what was going on. "The Thule Society who runs this factory captured me and ordered me to…" she then reached into the bottom of her shirt with her free hand and pulled out another short sharp dagger just like the one that she had used on him a couple of minutes. She raised it to just above his chest. Words didn't need to be spoken. She had been ordered to kill him. She put it back in its sheath. "I was to take down whoever came to the factory tonight. I didn't know it was going to be you. They have my family under surveillance. If I died they'd just make one of them do it later." She scanned the factory from over Ed's shoulder. "I am sure they are watching us somehow." she said in just of quiet of voice.

Ed's eyes widened in shock. 'Hohenheim…that bastard…he set me up.' His blood was boiling now. It took all his will power not to destroy the entire factory looking for the bastard old man, but he knew now that they were most likely being watched by the Thule society or whatever they were called if they had tried to blackmail Aminna into killing him. "The-" but he was stopped when Aminna put a finger to his lips, and gave him a sharp look, she still couldn't hide the fact that she was deathly frightened. He returned her sharp look. He was going to ask her this one question. He reached up and pulled her finger away. She looked petrified, her hand tightening on his shoulder. She shook her head. Her breathing became a bit more laboured. She thought that they'd be able to see him if he spoke. He frowned at her and brought her own finger in front of her mouth. She bit down on her lip and finally gave a small, curt nod. "They're making you do this because of your history with atomic bombs aren't they? That's how their blackmailing you isn't it?" he asked.

Her eyes widened again, first in shock but then quickly turned to anger. "How d-!" Ed clasped his hands over her mouth, and didn't let go until she stopped struggling, which wasn't for a while.

'What is going on here? Could Ed really be hunting me for working with uranium bombs? Was the Thule Society actually telling me the truth?' she thought worriedly. When he had finally removed his hand she told him about what Thule had said. "They told me that that the person who opposed their society was also hunting me and that in killing them I'd be helping myself too. I just had to do it because they didn't want your murder being traced back to them. If I am caught they could just blame it on my past." she whispered snappishly. "But is it true Ed? What they said? I didn't believe them."

He lowered his gaze. 'I didn't want to confront her about it like this.' he thought. He quickly clasped a hand over her mouth again. She instantly looked betrayed. She was struggling and couldn't get him to loosen his grip. He could feel her begin to tremble. She must have thought that he was going to kill her. "Just listen to me will you." he hissed. She gulped, and looked as though she were fighting back tears. Her shuddering subsided and she nodded into his hand. "Yes, I wanted to keep you close because of your work with uranium. If you were working at the factory I knew that you weren't helping to make an atomic bomb, and I could find out more about your past. I was planning on confronting you about it in soon, just not like this. I would never have hurt you though, never." he said looking at her with deep honest eyes. "Tonight I was told to come here by my father, he said that he could help me with something if I did, but obviously it looks like he's framed me. I did not come for you."

She nodded again into his hand again, which he removed slowly. "Okay Ed…I believe you." she said was a soft, strained smile. "We can't talk more about the atomic bombs issue now because we have got to get out of here, and the only way is through Thule. They have guards at every doorway, and are probably watching our every move, and they'll only reveal themselves once they see that one of us is dead, or if they sensed betrayal."

Ed nodded. "Okay so…one of us has to pretend to kill the other?" She nodded in agreement. "I'll pretend to kill you okay. My father won't believe that I've been killed by you…no offence. If it looked as though you've killed me he'd definitely know that we were faking."

'He's a pretty cocky, and normally that's not a good thing when you're so puny…' she thought lightly. "But if they see that I am dead they'll just charge right after you and kill you right on the spot, or get one of my brothers to take my place."

Ed frowned at her. 'It's not like I can't take them.' He thought vainly, but he couldn't make her bring her brothers into this. "Okay fine. I'll fake dead but if they see through it I am going to take them out."

"Okay Ed. That sounds good for me." she said smirking. "Now how exactly are we going to do this…?"

* * *

**I have gotten a ****beta****, Akai Ouja and they've been helping we proof over what I have written so far. Chapters one to four are redone to perfection while five - ten have are in progress. ****I am no longer going to be posting any review replies on the actual fanfiction page.**** I have been recommended to send replies personally rather than clotting the story which I completely agree with. All my notes will now be after the story and I will do my best to make them shorter and more to the point. **

**Side note,**** I added in the soothsayer because Hitler was an avid believer in fortune telling as some people would have probably realized with the Thule Society being so interested in Noa. **

**HOW BAD WAS INFLATION IN POST WWI GERMANY??**** Well here is the answer. In nineteen fourteen an American dollar was the equivalent of four German marks. In nineteen twenty-three an American dollar was the equivalent of a trillion German marks. **

**This was because Germany in the treaty of Versailles Germany was declared the cause for WWI and in effect had to pay for ALL the damages of the Great War. As a country already on the verge of bankruptcy the only solution they could find was to print off money like crazy, thus making the worth of the mark drop continuously, and it quickly became a small fraction of what it was once valued at. This resulted in hyperinflation which means that prices of everything would literally rise by the minute, even second. Because of this people who were lucky enough to find employment were paid twice or more daily because what you would make in the morning of one day would be worthless by the end of the same day. **

**As prime example citizens of Germany, including some of my ancestors burned their marks ('mark' is the name of the currency) in their fire places because it was cheaper to burn them than to use them to buy firewood.**

**_Something to ponder for the next chapter_**** – what can you conclude about Aminna's parents because of their names? **

**much love,**

**temariXshikamaruluva**


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